A "cash for demerit points" scheme has been shut down after helping mostly inexperienced drivers avoid hundreds of traffic penalties, police say.
A Queensland man is accused of passing on almost $150,000 in fines and hundreds of demerit points to unsuspecting people who had their identities stolen.
The 26-year-old allegedly advertised on social media offering to take fines and demerit points for people in exchange for cash.
Queensland Police said once contacted by a "customer", the man would nominate himself as the driver for their offence.
However after receiving the ticket, police said the man signed it over to an unsuspecting third party who was a victim of identity theft.
Police believe the scheme had been running for at least three years.
It involved more than 200 camera-detected offence notices worth about $141,000 in fines and 695 demerit points.
"Inquiries were commenced after one of the alleged victims of crime contacted police regarding $20,000 worth of fines he had received," Acting Chief Superintendent Janelle Andrews said.
"The subsequent investigation uncovered what is alleged to be an illegal business enterprise."
Supt Andrews said most of the "customers" were young, inexperienced drivers who should have had their licences suspended but were still on the road due to the scheme.
"This man has allegedly attempted to undermine the integrity of the road safety system in Queensland by allowing the actual drivers involved in these infringement offences to escape penalty," she said.
The man has been charged with carrying on the business of fraud, attempting to pervert the course of justice and three counts of obtaining identification information.
He was granted bail to reappear in Warwick Magistrates Court, southwest of Brisbane, on October 23.
