Saudi Arabia: Women driver’s licence scams spotted on social media
Legal experts warn not to fall to scam that could cost prey thousands
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi: Social media platforms are filled with tales about women who rushed to obtain a driver’s licence but fell to swindlers, who claimed they were able to obtain licenses for women without the need for training or driving schools and without the need for a medical examination, within 48 hours, for sums ranging between 2200 - 2500 riyals, Saudi media reported.
Okaz spotted one of those sites and on calling them, their response was not accepting any payment of fees before registering with a driving school and sending the required documents, then the transfer phase comes.
“The site claims that there is cooperation with a university to facilitate the issuance of driving licenses for Saudi women and residents and to pass transactions to the competent authorities,” Okaz reported.
Saudi Arabia granted women the right to drive two years ago, a historic move that cracked open a window to new freedoms for women.
The fake site identified a number of difficulties some applicants are facing such as driving school did not respond, or objected to set a new date for them, with promises to facilitate the transactions of residents in getting their driver’s license replaced.
The site offered a number of temptations, including obtaining a driver’s license without a test, and its responsibility to complete the theoretical and practical examinations.
The fake site revealed the method used in that, as people apply for examination in lieu of the applicants, and enter the result of the applicant into the main system, with an emphasis on issuing the license legally and 100% guaranteed, and all rights reserved!
The fraudulent site limited its requirements to a personal photo of the applicant with a white background, a photocopy of the ID card, and the blood category.
The Instagram and Twitter platforms gathered dozens of these fraudulent sites and their allegations matched the ease of issuing driving licenses for women, while the charges ranged between 2200 and 2500 riyals.
Lawyer Nujood Al Qasim, said a number of Saudi and Arab women fell to these fraudsters, who took advantage of the women’s wish to obtain driving licenses and the lack driving schools.
Al Qasim said these scams target unsuspecting customers with links to services that don’t exist and promises, all of which are fake.
“In law, fraud is intentional deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain, or to deprive a victim of a legal right. Fraud can violate civil law (i.e., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrator to avoid the fraud or recover monetary compensation), a criminal law (i.e., a fraud perpetrator may be prosecuted and imprisoned by governmental authorities), or it may cause no loss of money, property or legal right but still be an element of another civil or criminal wrong,” Al Qasim said.
She added the purpose of fraud may be monetary gain or other benefits, for example by obtaining a passport, travel document, or driver’s license, or mortgage fraud, where the perpetrator may attempt to qualify for a mortgage by way of false statements.
“A hoax is a distinct concept that involves deliberate deception without the intention of gain or of materially damaging or depriving a victim,’ Al Qasim explained.
Al Qasim said the remedies for fraud may include rescission (i.e., reversal) of a fraudulently obtained agreement or transaction, the recovery of a monetary award to compensate for the harm caused, punitive damages to punish or deter the misconduct, and possibly others.