Reporter Tom Hartley found operators advertising on social media, including Facebook, and taking enquiries through WhatsApp, willing to fraudulently take the blame for driving offences for as little as $22 per point. The system relies on the trust-based process of a vehicle owner nominating another driver when caught by a traffic camera.
A 27-year-old woman arrested in Woodridge, south of Brisbane, is accused of running the scheme on social media for at least four years. Queensland police allege 1,266 traffic infringements were transferred into her name. Detective Superintendent Craig McGrath said many of those who used the service “should have had their licenses suspended but were instead able to continue driving on our roads”. She remains remanded in custody and is expected to appear before the Brisbane Magistrates Court later this month, facing one charge of fraud.
The Queensland Revenue Office and Department of Transport and Main Roads did not answer 7.30's questions about how they detect fraud and how often they do so. “When fraud offences are detected, they are dealt with by the full force of the law,” a government spokesperson said.
Cybersecurity expert David Tuffley told 7.30 that if the government's systems can't see a pattern that obvious, there are no detection controls in place. “Banks put more scrutiny on a $200 card purchase than Queensland apparently applies to 1,200 demerit transfers,” he said.
The investigation also details historical cases. Bin Zhang was sentenced in 2024 for paying to avoid fines 19 times over six years, part of a broader scheme submitting 1,400 false nominations. In a separate matter, Nicholas John Anforth ran a scheme to fund a cocaine addiction that netted him more than $100,000 before he was sentenced to three years in jail in June. "I'm just astounded that this can go on for as long as it went on," Judge Dzenita Balic remarked, with prosecutor Paul Kay agreeing "you would've thought there'd be flags come up".
Lawyer Kristy Bell warned that both parties in the scheme risk serious charges. "Both can face serious criminal charges, including an actual term of imprisonment," she said.