If you have U.S clients who plan to drive during their travel abroad, take note as AAA urges them to avoid purchasing fraudulent International Driving Permits (IDP) or Inter-American Driving Permits (IADPs), particularly over the Internet. Authentic IDPs/IADPs are official translations of a traveler's driver’s license for use when driving in another country.
“A fraudulent IDP or IADP could result in legal problems or travel
delays if a person is detained while using it to drive in a foreign
country,” said AAA Travel vice president Doug Bower. “People who buy them from these bogus online brokers and spam e-mailers are wasting their money.”
An IDP costs $15 from AAA and can be purchased by anyone 18 years or older who presents a valid U.S. driver’s license at any of the more than 1,100 AAA offices around the country, or by mail following instructions at www.AAA.com/vacation/idpc.html. AAA is one of just two organizations authorized by the U.S. State Department to sell such documents (The American Automobile Touring Alliance is the other).
The Federal Trade Commission has alerted consumers to IDP/IADP scams in the past. The consumer alert can be found on its web site at: www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/idpalrt.shtm.