Beware fake government websites: Copycat sites charging £1 a MINUTE for calls and £50 for passing on details.

Soaring numbers of people are being caught out by copycat websites which dupe them into handing over huge fees for official services they could receive for free.
Money Mail has received scores of letters, and This is Money stacks of emails and calls from readers who have handed up to £50 to these firms simply for filling in an online form.
During the past year, dozens of these firms have sprung up on the internet, offering services such as passport and driving licence renewals.

Beware: Website crooks are targeting victims with fake government sites

Customers often think they’ve ordered the items through the official government site, but they are actually paying third-party organisations to send off an application.
One firm charges £50 just for checking a provisional driving licence — and that’s on top of the official £50 fee charged by the DVLA.

 

In many cases, these companies copy the appearance of the government websites and bury smallprint that states they are not an official organisation.
In a further cynical ploy, these copycat sites often appear at the top of internet searches for terms such as ‘EHIC card’ for the European Health Insurance Card. And some companies also hit customers with charges of up to £1 a minute for ringing to ask simple questions.

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