Cheating didn't work: a "spy" button landed a man in court instead of a driver's license

23 March 2026 it became known about the verdict of the Ternopil City District Court in the case regarding the illegal acquisition of special means for covert information collection. According to the investigation, the man wanted at all costs to pass the theoretical traffic rules exam at the MVS service center in the village of Pidhorodne, but instead of preparing he decided to use equipment for the covert transmission of image and sound.

The story began back in July 2025. Near the service center (TSC), right in his car, the suspect bought from intermediaries a set of equipment for US$1,500. It was assembled so that everything looked ordinary from the outside: a mini camera was hidden in the button of a T-shirt, a 4G module was used to stream the exam sheet in real time, and for communication with accomplices — a microphone, an earpiece and a portable battery.

An examination by the SBU found that this kit is a special technical means for covert information acquisition, which civilians are prohibited from using. In other words, the scheme intended to help obtain hints during the exam unnoticed turned into a separate criminal proceeding.

In March 2026 the defendant agreed to a plea deal with the prosecutor, pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against the people who sold him the equipment. The court took into account his remorse and cooperation with the investigation and imposed a penalty in the form of a fine — 17,000 hryvnias. The special devices themselves were seized, and the mobile phone iPhone XR was returned to its owner.

This story once again demonstrates a simple fact: an attempt to “outsmart” examination procedures can end not with the longed-for driver’s license, but with a conviction, expenses and a criminal record. All the more so as stories of scams around exams and driver’s licenses are appearing more and more often — from forged certificates to the sale of “guaranteed” licenses through driving schools and intermediaries.

Previously we wrote:

• In Mykolaiv, a woman was fined for a forged medical certificate for the driving exam
• Driver’s license for 35,000: in Mykolaiv, a 41-year-old driving school instructor who sold “guaranteed” licenses was exposed
• 14,000 for a driver’s license: in Mykolaiv, an instructor who took bribes was exposed
• Issuing driver’s licenses to Mykolaiv residents: a corruption scheme exposed
• A Mykolaiv resident bought a driver’s license in a Telegram channel and attempted to take the exam for a new category