Crackdown on sales of bogus licenses

In a campaign this year to shut down Internet sales of bogus international driver’s licenses or permits, the Federal Trade Commission has sued six popular marketers, alleging misleading and deceptive practices.

Such spam offerings often are aimed at non-English-speaking immigrants, whose legitimate driver’s licenses have been suspended or revoked, or international travelers. The e-mails and ads for these documents make outlandish claims to lure consumers and charge as much as $375 per license.

“Congratulations! You have found the only alternative driver’s license program that is 100 percent LEGAL,” read the ads on Drivelegal.com, one of the now-defunct spam operations targeted by the FTC. “We can help you get back on the road even if you have a suspended or revoked driver’s license,” the Web site claimed.

The U.S. District Court in Riverside issued temporary restraining orders in January against Yad Abraham of Riverside and his two Internet businesses, according to FTC attorney Raymond E. McKown. Some of Abraham’s personal and business assets also were frozen by the court, McKown said.

Abraham could not be reached for comment.

Restraining orders also were issued in other courts to stop the five other marketers from selling international driver’s licenses.

Since 1997 Abraham and his businesses, Sharpthorn Internet Solutions and Internex, “enticed at least 6,000 consumers to purchase the $350-and-up” international driver’s licenses, making at least $2.1 million in sales, court documents revealed.

Drivelegal’s Web site told consumers the licenses would protect them from getting points on their driving records, because the licenses would not be “connected to any government database,” according to the FTC.

Drivelegal.com told consumers the licenses were legally issued by the Bahamas, and it provided consumers with a false address in the islands, the FTC said.

The Web site even encouraged women to use their maiden names to avoid detection by their states’ motor vehicle departments, the agency said.

The irony is that legitimate international driver’s licenses are helpful tools for travelers, and they also are inexpensive to buy legally.

The State Department has authorized only two organizations -- the American Automobile Assn. and the American Touring Alliance -- to issue international driver’s licenses for $10 apiece. That’s a far cry from the online prices being charged by spammers.

Carol Thorp, spokeswoman for the Automobile Club of Southern California, warns that Web sites offering international driver’s licenses for use in the U.S. are rip-offs.

Since the FTC crackdown, “we’ve seen a significant decrease” in Internet spam purporting to sell international driver’s licenses that replace a suspended license or can be used as official identification, said FTC attorney Lemuel W. Dowdy.

The agency said the licenses were “worthless” and were not officially recognized by governments.

But license scams do continue to pop up on the Internet, according to Brightmail Inc., an anti-spam software company in San Francisco.

“We’re still seeing a significant attack by these kinds of spammers,” said Francois Lavaste, the company’s vice president for marketing.

Authentic international driver’s licenses are allowed by the United Nations Road Traffic Convention of 1949 and are issued in numerous countries. The licenses look a bit like passports and are rendered in several languages. Travelers still should carry a valid license from their home country.

In California, international driver’s licenses are not recognized as valid. The state, however, does recognize licenses issued by another country, state or territory in which the driver resides.

Jeanne Wright responds in this column to automotive questions of general interest. Write to Your Wheels, Business Section, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. E-mail: jeanrite@aol.com.