FTC Settles with Marketers of Bogus International Driver’s
Licenses
Two companies settled FTC charges that they fraudulently marketed purportedly
authentic International Driver’s Permits (IDPs) on the Internet. Under the terms of the settlement, the defendants are
prohibited from future marketing of any IDPs or identification documents. The suit alleged that the defendants
deceptively claimed that consumers could use the phony IDPs they marketed on their Web site to drive legally in the
United States, to insulate them from sanctions for traffic violations, and as a government photo identification. These
so-called international driver’s licenses don’t give you the legal right to drive, won’t help you remove points from your
license, and aren’t an official government ID.
Authentic IDPs enable a person with a valid driver’s license to drive in foreign countries that have signed the 1949
United Nations Road Traffic Convention. The IDP is a simple booklet that translates a consumer’s government-issued
driver’s license into different languages; it is not a substitute for a valid, government-issued license. It cannot be
used in place of a suspended or revoked license or as a government-issued identification card. Further, it will not
protect consumers from traffic tickets or "points." In the United States, legitimate IDPs cost $10 each, and can only
be obtained from the American Automobile Association and the American Automobile Touring Alliance. Read more...
