Beware of misleading ad on driving licences, says JPJ

KUALA LUMPUR: The Road Transport Department (JPJ) has reminded the public to be mindful of an advertisement on social media which offers driving licences without having to attend classes and tests.

JPJ director-general Datuk Zailani Hashim said the department had detected the advertisement, which also used the photo of a Chinese woman as the profile picture for the account to attract the attention of social media users.

"This syndicate makes a profit by deceiving the victims and disappears after they receive the money.

"The advertisement is misleading the people that they can get a licence without attending a driving school. There is nothing of the sort,” he told a press conference after the New Year’s Eve integrated operation at the Gombak Toll Plaza on Sunday (Jan 1) morning

Zailani said the JPJ would work with the Communications and Digital Ministry and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission to track down the syndicate.

"The syndicate has realised that the authorities are monitoring them, so they often change their links every four to six months.

"We will find the individuals responsible for deceiving social media users with this tactic and hand them to the police for further action,” he said.

Meanwhile, Zailani said 3,481 summonses were issued for various traffic offences during the integrated operation, which was held simultaneously throughout the country from 9 pm on Saturday (Dec 31) to midnight.

He added that a total of 12,234 vehicles were inspected in the operation, which focuses on driving licences, road tax, insurance and cloned vehicles.

"We also confiscated 69 vehicles; 56 motorcycles, 12 cars and one other vehicle as of midnight last night,” he said, adding that over 200 enforcement officers were involved in the operation, including from the police, Immigration Department, National Anti-Drugs Agency and Environment Department. - Bernama