People are always looking to make a buck and side hustles are popping up for almost anything. A man thought he could come up with his own way to earn easy money by admitting to people’s driving offenses for cash.
Drivers want to keep their records clean so it doesn’t come as a surprise that there would be a market for something like this. The unnamed man had a pretty good business going before he was shut down, admitting to the driving offences of nearly 100 people.
The Civil Guard of the Balearic Islands in Spain announced they discovered the Armenian man who had been advertising his unusual service online. He offered to take the blame for strangers, which helped drivers retain their driving licenses, avoid paying fines and overall, just keeping their records clean.
Back in mid-2021, during a motorist’s escape from police after avoiding a routine breathalyzer test, the Armenian man stepped forward claiming to be the perpetrator of the various infractions. Police didn’t look into it too much until they learned that the person didn’t have a motorcycle driving license, had no valid points on his license, and had also not been in the Mallorca region on the day that the motorist’s crimes were committed.
This prompted the Civil Traffic Guard to start investigating the man. As the case moved forward, the man continued to claim being involved in numerous other driving offenses, raising eyebrows along the way.
In Spain and in many other countries, a point system is used to punish traffic infractions. When someone loses all their points, their driver’s license is suspended for a period of time. The Civil Traffic Guard of Mallorca concluded that the Armenian man had -321 points.
Further analysis revealed more crazy instances like the man committing two offenses on the same day but 800 kilometers apart. In some instances, he admitted to driving a motorcycle at an excessive speed, despite the radar camera footage clearly showing female riders.
The man had been advertising his services as a scapegoat to anyone wanting to “outsource” their driving offenses. The man had a booming business, charging around 75 and 200 euros per point deducted from his own driving license. He had agreements with an estimated 91 people from all over Spain.
Source: https://www.diariodemallorca.es/sucesos/2022/08/17/hombre-vende-321-puntos-carnet-73631972.html