DMV cracking down on driver’s permit test cheating

About a year ago, the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles launched an online driver’s permit test so people wouldn’t have to leave their homes to take it during the pandemic.

Since then, cheating on the online version of the test has been widespread, and now authorities believe they know why. The Times Union reports the cheating may be part of a scheme to obtain driver’s credentials for illegal immigrants. That would allow them to establish a residence and apply for unemployment benefits from New York’s Excluded Worker Fund.

Many of the people taking advantage of the online tests could be from out of state, so the DMV is cracking down on cheating by preventing people outside of New York State from taking the test online. A person familiar with the situation says the scheme has slowed down since the DMV reported the issue and started taking new measures.