Australian motorists are reportedly paying strangers to accept responsibility for traffic offences in an illegal attempt to avoid losing their licences, with the practice becoming increasingly visible online.

A report by Yahoo News Australia said social media platforms and online marketplaces are being used to advertise services in which people offer to accept demerit points in exchange for cash, allowing drivers facing licence suspension to falsely nominate someone else as the person behind the wheel.

The Canberra Times also reported drivers in the ACT are paying as much as $500 per demerit point, with some handing over more than $1000 to retain their driving privileges.

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One provisional licence holder told the newspaper he paid $1200 for another person to accept responsibility for a mobile phone offence after he had already accumulated enough demerit points to be facing a mandatory three-month suspension.

The alleged transactions exploit the process that allows registered vehicle owners to nominate another driver for camera-detected offences through government infringement portals.

Figures provided to the newspaper show Access Canberra received 23,792 statutory declarations in the first six months of 2026 from registered owners claiming they were not driving at the time of an offence. That follows 42,308 declarations in 2025 and 40,677 in 2024.

An ACT Government spokesperson said suspicious declarations are referred to the Australian Federal Police for investigation where appropriate.

Reports about online advertisements for paid demerit point transfers were widely reported in 2023, with Yahoo reporting similar listings continue to appear on Facebook Marketplace, Messenger and community groups.

Among the advertisements identified by Yahoo were listings offering “demerit points” for sale, while another encouraged drivers to contact the seller if they wanted to avoid accumulating penalty points. Some posts included price lists for various traffic offences.

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Authorities have warned motorists against participating in false nomination schemes.

In the ACT, making a false statutory declaration can attract fines of up to $55,000 for individuals. In New South Wales, falsely nominating another driver can also result in substantial financial penalties and additional licence sanctions.

Road safety authorities say the demerit point system is designed to identify repeat offenders, with licence suspensions intended to remove high-risk drivers from the road rather than provide a financial incentive for illegal point-swapping schemes.