Hillsborough battles driver’s license appointment fraud

Scammers book appointments then try to resell the time to the public, Tax Collector Nancy Millan says.

By C.T. Bowen Times staff

The Hillsborough County Tax Collector’s Office is altering its operations after discovering scammers booked blocks of driver license appointments and then attempted to sell the availability to the public.

Tax Collector Nancy Millan said the office investigated after an influx of complaints about a lack of appointments and a tip about third parties selling appointment times. She said the office found a pattern of daily appointments being reserved under identical names and email addresses.

Appointments are not required for most services, but the public can reserve appointments via the office website up to 30 days in advance at no charge. Millan said she suspects third parties monitored the scheduling software and snapped up available appointments, possibly through the use of artificial intelligence and bots, preventing residents from making their own appointments.

“This fraudulent behavior by individuals who are exploiting residents and denying them access to essential services is unacceptable. Unfortunately, appointment selling has become a growing trend across the nation, and in Hillsborough County, we are committed to putting an end to this interference and restoring fair and equitable access to services for all residents,” Millan said in a news release .

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office also investigated and Millan said the scam apparently targeted minority populations, with most of the suspected “sold” appointments taking place in the Hispanic community.

The scheme operates similar to old-school ticket scalping. Patrons reported to Millan’s office that they had been approached in the outside parking lots by an individual offering to sell an appointment time in exchange for $40, said Debra Bellanti, communications and community relations director for the Tax Collector’s Office.

In response, the Tax Collector’s Office has put in new safeguards including one booking per person or email address; enhanced verification requiring customers to enter a driver license number, a parent’s driver license number for minors, or an alien registration number; a residency requirement for Hillsborough County residents and in-person confirmation at the time of the appointment.

Media accounts detailed the scam operating in South Florida in 2022.

In Hillsborough, residents are asked to report suspected incidents of appointment selling to the Tax Collector’s Office. For further information and to book appointments, go to www.hillstax.org.

See story from Tampa Bay Times here.