DGT Investigates Spanish Driving License Swap Scam
The Spanish National Police have arrested 802 people in an investigation into the forging of Venezuelan driving licences that had been procurred in order to exchange them for legitimate Spanish ones.
As of the 15th March the Direcion General de Trafico (DGT) who oversee all driving related regulations in Spain have suspended the exchange of Venezuelan to Spanish licenses whilst the matter is investigated.
The scam, which the Spanish Police uncovered, involved the production of pre-2017 Venezuelan licenses after the new license introduced in the country did not meet Spanish standards.
Fraudsters in Venezuela charged an average of €90 to produce false pre-2017 licence which would be sent to customers via post within a few days.
Venezuelans in Spain then presented the bogus document at DGT offices around the the country to be exchanged with legitimate Spanish ones.
Arrests have been made in 19 provinces across Spain, with highest number in Madrid with 185 arrests followed by Tenerife (154), Malaga ( 123) and Alicante ( 62).
Some 807 false Venezuelan driving licenses have been intercepted whilst 296 Spanish licenses which had been obtained through the scam have so far been annulled.
The investigation continues.