DOZENS OF TIKTOK accounts showing car thefts and dangerous driving remain online, a week and a half after five teenagers died and four family members in another car were injured in the M9 crash.

There is also evidence the social media platform’s algorithm is presenting such videos to users who have previously viewed them – essentially boosting their visibility.

The Journal has built a database of accounts showing car thefts and gangs driving dangerously on Ireland’s roads and motorway network. 

Some of these accounts have since been pulled from the platform, but new accounts posting this type of content have also surfaced. 

As we’ve researched the practice in recent days, five different accounts displaying identical videos of what appear to be real car thefts have been shown on the platform’s ‘For You’ landing page, which shows content based on the viewer’s personal algorithm. 

These accounts showing car thefts feature similar hashtags – including ‘nobettercrew’ ‘themgoodones’ ‘scruffydip’ (an apparent homage to the Dublin-based Lucky Dip gang that was more active in previous years) and ‘getmefamous’.

They also showcase run-ins with gardaí, including chases on main roads, reckless driving, and even, in one case, a teenage boy showcasing his own arrest.

Without fail, when a person is identifiable in the videos and photos, it’s a teenage boy, with some appearing to be not much older than 13 or 14.

The accounts also interact with others showing different kinds of illegal behaviour, including animal poaching, and in the case of one popular Limerick-based account, the production of fake licences.

Accounts glorifying car theft

The Journal has viewed over 30 accounts on TikTok that appear to be Irish accounts showing stolen vehicles, extreme speeding and garda chases.

These do not include the accounts of the boys who died in the crash as they are either private or have been subsequently banned.

One account suggested by TikTok on the ‘For You’ page in the account we used to research this piece shows a clip of what appears to be a stolen Ford car.

Another video uploaded around the same time as the Ford video and shot from inside a car shows a rearview of gardaí pursuing the vehicle, before panning to show two other figures inside the car also recording videos.

The accounts show thefts across different counties and towns across Ireland, including Dublin, Limerick, Ennis, Newry and Cavan.

One account that regularly boasts that it is “active” in Cavan shows Facebook posts from people in local communities who say their bike or car has been stolen, before cutting to a clip of what appears to be the vehicle described.

In one image shared by the account, two teenage boys sitting in a car with masks on are giving the middle finger to the camera with gloved hands.

Fake licences

These accounts showing thefts and reckless driving often interact with accounts showcasing other kinds of illegal behaviour, including one account that appears to be promoting the sale of fake driving licences in Limerick.

The ‘Express Licence’ account, which has since disappeared but has been visible in recent days, had almost 4,000 followers on TikTok. The account’s admins claimed to be Irish licence ‘experts’.

The account has been posting photos and videos seemingly showing customers who have received fake licences since 2015.

Potential customers were encouraged to reach out via WhatsApp on different phone numbers.

The admins claimed in a caption on one post: “We are workers from RSA, NDLS doing this privately so be rest assured your licence will be 100% original and confirm your licence will pass all security checks (Garda checks, insurance etc).”

Other accounts showcase illegal activities involving animals, such as an account that shows dogs being used to “poach” hares and rabbits.

UK accounts have a bigger reach

The influence of actual car theft gangs in Ireland like the Lucky Dip gang is obvious when it comes to these accounts (one TikTok user openly delights in a CrimeWorld article that writes about the resurgence of Lucky Dip, while a spate of videos uploaded in 2025 have the hashtag ‘scruffydip’) but it seems that the influence of British social media users uploading similar content with far more followers and engagement is a factor too.

Of the accounts that The Journal has seen online in the last week and a half, none had a reach of beyond 3,000 followers.

However, there are several UK-based accounts uploading similar content that have a far bigger reach, with some garnering upwards of 5,000 likes.

Downing Street has warned that much tougher action is to come via regulator Ofcom if social media firms fail to remove videos that depict dangerous driving after a dangerous crash killed seven people near Middlesbrough at the weekend, and clips of a vehicle involved driving the wrong way on a motorway were also uploaded to social media.

According to TikTok, the firm is now closely monitoring content related to the recent reckless driving incidents and removing videos that break the platform’s rules.

Coimisiún na Meán has also confirmed to The Journal that it has been in “in contact with TikTok to obtain more information about their response to these matters”.

TikTok has been asked for comment.