A growing number of UK motorists are turning to criminal networks to avoid driving penalties, in a scam that is now infiltrating Britain’s fast-track court system.

According to reports, drivers facing prosecution for speeding or other traffic offences are allegedly paying fraudsters to submit false details on their behalf.

This allows penalty points to be transferred to fake identities or unsuspecting innocent individuals.

It wasn’t me

The alarming trend has prompted a nationwide warning to court officials in England and Wales.

Legal advisers and court staff have been urged to be vigilant for suspicious activity under the Single Justice Procedure (SJP).

This is the fast-track process that handles thousands of minor traffic offences without in-person hearings.

According to an internal memo dated April 30, seen by The Standard, the Justices’ Legal Advisers and Court Officers’ Service (JCS) has circulated a checklist of “tell-tale signs” of the scam and advice on how to block it.

Further guidance recommends that suspicious cases be referred to the police, who can investigate drivers for perverting the course of justice—an offence carrying a maximum life sentence.

However, most cases result in a prison term of up to two years.

“The police have been aware for some time that criminals have set up ‘NIP farms’ where, for a fee, road traffic offenders can magic away their points,” the memo states. “We’ve recently seen evidence that they are extending their reach to the Single Justice Procedure.”

Out to pasture

These so-called “plea farms” exploit the Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) system, which notifies drivers they are being prosecuted.

For a price, criminals offer to handle the plea by submitting false information, often including a new name, address, and driving licence number.

Sometimes, the details used are entirely fictitious, but increasingly, the fraudsters are employing real personal information—without the individuals’ knowledge—leaving innocent people burdened with penalty points and financial penalties.

One known hotspot in the scam is an address in Enfield, north London, which appears repeatedly in court paperwork under different names and vehicle registrations.

Beware and be aware

The JCS has specifically advised legal advisers to treat forms listing this address with extra caution.

“Legal advisers and court associates can easily either assist the criminals in their enterprise or thwart them,” the memo warns.

“If you see an online plea with a name and address completely different from that on the single justice notice and no explanation why, don’t just amend the case details.”

Instead, courts have been instructed to proceed with the prosecution of the originally charged motorist and reject any suspiciously altered guilty pleas.

Pointing the way

The growing scale of the problem is becoming increasingly evident.

Court officials report cases where defendants are unaware they have racked up excessive penalty points—sometimes 18 or more—believing they only had a few.

In other instances, enforcement teams only discover the deception when innocent people challenge court fines or statutory declarations appear to contest convictions.

“These drivers are often trying to avoid a ban due to accumulating points,” said a source familiar with the scam. “If they weren’t close to losing their licence, they wouldn’t be paying criminals to do this.”

The courts are now pushing back.

By rejecting fraudulent online pleas and notifying the police, officials hope to break the cycle of deception.

Law enforcement is also investigating networks that facilitate the scams and target addresses repeatedly linked to fraudulent submissions.

The JCS’s clear message: this is not a harmless loophole.

Motorists who use criminal services to evade road penalties risk serious legal consequences, including a criminal record, disqualification, and even imprisonment.

In an era of digital justice, where most traffic offences are handled without a courtroom appearance, the integrity of the legal process depends on ensuring that it is not exploited by those willing to pay to cheat the system.