How to curb the chaos of "proxy scoring" in driver's licenses?, Journalist investigation: Online "buy share sell share" platform with booming business | Driver's license | Reporter
The Shanghai police reported yesterday that they had previously dismantled a "scalper" gang that built an online platform and bought and sold driver's license scores. Unlike the traditional "scalpers" who used to be active near traffic violation processing points, the gang has developed a mini program called "Haoniu Chewu", which has become an information aggregation platform for both buyers and sellers of driver's licenses. It also sets up a "puzzle module" to provide convenience for scalpers to forge their driving licenses.
According to the police, the personnel who "buy points and sell points" through the "Haoniu Chewu" involve 22 provinces and cities across the country. At present, 77 suspect such as platform organizers and "scalpers" have been arrested. This is also the largest illegal criminal gang in Shanghai that has been dismantled in recent years, known as "buy share sell share".
The "scalper" gang, which relies on "traffic violation scoring" to achieve illegal profits, has not been cracked down on by the police for the first time, but the illegal phenomenon of "buying and selling points" still persists. According to the reporter's survey, in Internet e-commerce and social networking platforms, many businesses and individuals brazenly provide "driver license scoring" services, and the "scalpers" who mediate between buyers and sellers are also very active. How to curb this illegal phenomenon?
Case replay: The "buy share sell share" network was destroyed, and more than 900 people nationwide were punished
Last October, police officers from Baoshan Gucun Police Station discovered during their work that the driving license provided by Li, who came to the window to handle illegal activities, was suspected of being forged. After inquiry, Li admitted that he was a "point seller" and was arranged by "scalper" Wang to sell points on behalf of others. However, the driving license provided by Wang for the "point buyer" was forged. According to Article 25, Paragraph 2 of the Shanghai Road Traffic Management Regulations, the "seller" Li was fined RMB 5000, his driver's license was temporarily detained for 3 months, and all illegal gains were confiscated.
The police investigation found that Wang is active in multiple "traffic violation handling" WeChat groups, mainly engaged in organizing illegal activities of introducing others. According to Wang's account, he used the "Haoniu Chewu" platform to connect with traffic violators and point sellers, and used the platform's mapping function to forge the "point buyer"'s vehicle for driving, making it easier for the "point seller" to respond to the requirement of verifying their ID card, driver's license, and driving license for offline processing of traffic violations.
After learning of the clues, the Shanghai Public Security Traffic Police Headquarters immediately established a special investigation team with the Baoshan Branch to conduct further investigations around the platform. The task force found that "Haoniuchewu" is related to multiple cases of forging motor vehicle driving licenses that were previously seized. After five months of clue mining and data analysis, the information of the criminal gang behind it was uncovered.
"Behind this mini program lies a criminal gang that involves multiple regions across the country, using the method of obtaining fake driving licenses to implement cross provincial 'point deduction' through 'scalpers'," said Zhang Bin, Deputy Leader of the Accident Trial Brigade of the Traffic Police Detachment of Baoshan Public Security Bureau. In March this year, the Shanghai police went to many places across the country to arrest 77 suspect, seized more than 800 forged vehicle driving permits on the spot, as well as computers, mobile phones, account books and other crime tools.
Since June 2021, suspect Yu and others have developed the "Haoniu Chewu" platform, and provided information aggregation services for "scalpers" across the country to buy and sell driver's license scores by setting recharge thresholds and other profit-making methods. At the same time, they also specially developed illegal services such as "puzzle card making" to facilitate the deduction of points from other places.
The investigators told reporters that the so-called "jigsaw puzzle certification" refers to the process of shooting and uploading the original driving license information, "piecing" it into the platform's preset image base, and then generating a forged electronic version of the driving license. The "scalpers" print, cut, and use it on their own. "To handle traffic violations at the window, it is necessary to provide the driver's ID card, driver's license, and the driving license of the illegal vehicle. This feature eliminates the need to mail the driving license, making it convenient for 'scalpers' to engage in cross provincial and cross city buying and selling activities, and also to some extent improving the concealment of illegal activities." Zhang Bin said that using the "Good Bull Car Service" platform, the parties involved in actual buying and selling do not need to meet and trade, and "scalpers" have also achieved the goal of information monopoly.
At present, 77 people, including suspect Yu, have been taken criminal coercive measures in accordance with the law because they are suspected of forging, altering, buying and selling official documents, certificates and seals of state organs. In addition, more than 900 "buy share sell share" personnel have been fined, scored, and temporarily detained for motor vehicle driving licenses in accordance with the law.
Survey: Online "point deduction" business is booming, with "scalpers" making profits up to ten times higher
Online channels such as "Good Bull Car Service" for buying and selling driver's license scores are not uncommon, and some "scalpers" who mediate between buyers and sellers are doing well with considerable profits.
By searching for keywords such as "fine payment agency" and "vehicle business agency", the reporter found that there are many businesses and individuals providing separate buying and selling services for driver's licenses. On a certain information retrieval website, the reporter contacted a "vehicle agency business" merchant, stating that they can provide vehicle traffic violation scoring services across the country. He said that the price for 1 point is 100 yuan, "the specific situation depends on the location of the license plate and the illegal situation, and I will give you a detailed quotation.".
What materials are needed to have others score on behalf of you? The merchant stated that as long as the reporter provides a photo of the driver's license and the license plate number of the vehicle involved in traffic violations, it can be processed within 1-3 days. "We will provide you with a receipt certificate.". As for how to handle it, the merchant is unwilling to disclose more information.
In Internet e-commerce and social networking platforms, it is not uncommon for businesses to buy and sell driving license scores. The reporter searched for "fine payment" on Taobao and found hundreds of shops, with monthly sales of five to six hundred orders. At a store called "Dream Car Service", the product of "fine payment" has been sold for over 40000 units, with monthly sales exceeding 200 units. In the product review section, buyers are very satisfied with the merchant's service and leave comments such as "very professional" and "strong, professional".
Screenshot of search results page on e-commerce platform
Compared to "agency vehicle business", the asking price for "Dream Car Service" is higher. During the consultation, the customer service of "Dream Car Service" told the reporter that they usually only handle agency scoring services with scores above 6. If the score is below 6, the asking price is 400 yuan per minute. "If you accept this price, just send me a photo of the driver's license and a screenshot of the violation," said the customer service.
Screenshot of the merchant page providing the "buy share sell share" service
In addition to selling points, some merchants also explicitly state that they can "receive points", with a price of approximately 50-60 yuan per point. The difference between this amount and the selling price is several times, indicating that scalpers have considerable profits.
A scalper told reporters that if you want to sell points, it's best to sell them to local drivers. "You may need to go to the scene to cooperate and deduct points," he said. Some scalpers also say, "You don't need to be in person, just send us your driver's license.".
Industry insiders told reporters that the "scalpers" of buying and selling driver's license scores have a long or short chain of benefits. "Generally, it is divided into two levels. The first level 'scalpers' purchase a large amount of driver's license information and then sell it or use the second level' scalpers' to the window for illegal processing and sales points." The person explained that currently, the price of driver's license points purchased by 'scalpers' generally ranges from 50 to 100 yuan, while the price of driver's license points that customers need to pay for points varies from 100 to 400 yuan, with profits reaching more than 10 times. ".
Who is the demand party for driver's license deduction? The reporter learned from the interview that drivers engaged in passenger and truck transportation services are the main group who buy points. In addition to online platforms, there are also "scalpers" soliciting business in some rental points and auto repair shops.
Mr. Li, a ride hailing driver, told reporters that "scalpers" who sell points have long existed in the driver circle. "We drive frequently and have a high probability of traffic violations. Every year, we have to spend one or two thousand yuan on scalpers."
Question: Why is "buy share sell share" repeatedly banned under severe crackdowns?
In fact, behaviors such as proxy scoring and intermediary introductions by scalpers through buying and selling driver's license scores have long been explicitly prohibited. In recent years, the Shanghai police have carried out multiple special rectification actions, severely cracking down on all types of people involved in "buying and selling shares". Previously, the frequent "scalpers" chaos in areas such as traffic violation processing windows and vehicle management offices has been significantly curbed.
At the same time, the legal system for regulating the scoring management of driver's licenses is constantly improving. The Shanghai Road Traffic Management Regulations, which were implemented as early as March 25, 2017, clearly state that "it is prohibited to have others substitute for scoring, to prohibit substituting for others for scoring, and to prohibit introducing substitute scoring.". This is the first time that Shanghai has made prohibitive provisions in the form of local legislation on traffic violation scoring behavior. Among them, those who introduce alternative scoring can be fined up to 20000 yuan.
The "Scoring Management Measures for Road Traffic Safety Violations" implemented in April 2022 also clarifies legal responsibilities for buying and selling driver's license scores and organizing others to engage in illegal profit-making activities such as buying and selling points. In the eyes of legal professionals, the implementation of the Measures is aimed at fully utilizing the management, education, and guidance functions of the scoring system, in order to reduce road traffic safety violations and prevent and reduce road traffic accidents. "The act of illegally buying and selling driver's license scores clearly disrupts the order of traffic management, deprives traffic violators of the necessary education and punishment, and thus fails to effectively curb traffic violations and reduce traffic accidents, causing great damage to traffic safety and order."
Why is the situation of buying and selling driver's license scores still repeatedly banned despite the increasing crackdown by the police and legal protection? Industry insiders say that the current "buy share sell share" activities are gradually shifting towards concealment, with less direct solicitation of business and transfer of funds near roadside and window areas. However, the situation of delivering advertising cards through wide nets or online channels has increased, which to some extent increases the difficulty of police on-site investigation and obtaining evidence.
"Hidden online 'scalper' platforms such as' Haoniu Chewu ', as well as e-commerce platforms that claim to' pay fines', have objectively facilitated the purchase and sale of driver license points, and also helped participants to avoid legal supervision and punishment to a certain extent." In the view of the traffic police responsible for handling traffic violations, Internet subjects such as e-commerce platforms failed to implement their regulatory responsibilities, allowing the occurrence of "buying and selling points".
The parties involved in the "buy share sell share" policy have exposed their lack of awareness of the rule of law. "Some drivers lack sufficient awareness and vigilance towards traffic violations, are unwilling to bear legal responsibility and consequences, and are even less willing to correct their incorrect driving habits. They only want to avoid punishment by buying points," said the traffic police. Some drivers also lack understanding of the legal risks and consequences of buying and selling driving license points, believing that even if discovered, it is only a minor punishment and they are not aware that such behavior may lead to serious consequences.
"Another important reason is related to the law enforcement methods." The above-mentioned legal professionals pointed out that there are still shortcomings in the current traffic law enforcement and evidence collection methods: "Currently, a large number of traffic violations rely on electronic police for evidence collection, but due to technology, distance and other reasons, the public security department is unable to handle the integration of people and vehicles in traffic violations, which provides opportunities for both buyers and sellers to take advantage of."
Strategy: Improve the mechanism for comparing evidence collection and punishment, and increase the cost of punishment for dishonesty
In order to further squeeze the illegal behavior of buying, selling, and distributing traffic, the Shanghai police are continuously improving their identity authentication measures for handling traffic violations. They are using the "three in one" verification method of ID cards, driver's licenses, and driving licenses, as well as measures such as "electronic police" evidence collection comparison and inquiry, to increase daily supervision. At the same time, the police are constantly strengthening their efforts to clean up and crack down on intermediaries and platforms, cutting off the channels and profit chains of "buy share sell share".
The reporter learned from the Shanghai Public Security Traffic Police Corps that in recent years, the police have investigated and dealt with more than 200 illegal acts of "buying and selling shares", cracked down on 6 cases of "scalpers", and dug deep into clues to investigate and deal with 5 cases of forging national documents. Among them, 3 people have been taken criminal coercive measures in accordance with the law for suspected forgery and buying and selling of state organs' seals.
"We have also established an abnormal data monitoring system. If it is found that a driver's license has been used to sell points to multiple vehicles, we will promptly carry out crackdowns and investigations to curb the occurrence of illegal behavior of 'buying points and selling points'." said Chen Kai, Deputy Director of the Accident Prevention Department of the Traffic Police Headquarters of the Shanghai Public Security Bureau.
In addition to improving law enforcement evidence collection and strengthening supervision by law enforcement agencies, legal professionals believe that e-commerce platforms should strengthen effective supervision against merchants suspected of buying and selling driver's license scores. "The platform should delete relevant links in a timely manner after discovering them, and at the same time, increase pre inspection efforts for links to illegal products such as' fine payment '."
In addition, legal professionals believe that the punishment for the illegal act of "proxy scoring" needs to be further strengthened. "At present, when law enforcement agencies discover the behavior of 'proxy scoring', they will revoke the original punishment decision and impose a fine. For 'scalpers' who organize others to carry out point selling behavior, they often receive public security penalties, and the deterrent effect is not sufficient."
Industry insiders told reporters that the handling of traffic violations has been implemented nationwide, but there are differences in law enforcement standards, regulatory efforts, and punishment standards in different regions. Law enforcement evidence information has not been fully shared, and there are still cases of forging driver's licenses and driving licenses to deceive people.
"We should improve our information system and data sharing as soon as possible, establish a real name management and credit record mechanism for traffic violations, effectively identify and trace the behavior of buying and selling driver's licenses, and impose credit and joint punishment on violators to form effective deterrence and restraint. Industry insiders suggest that relevant laws and regulations should be introduced to increase the cost of punishment for violations and dishonesty. If a buyer or seller of driver's licenses is found, their license will be cancelled and their application will be prohibited for several years.". "In terms of regulations, draw a high-voltage line for the behavior of 'buy share sell share'."
