Five held in fake website crackdown

five held in fake website crackdownFive people have been arrested as part of a major crackdown on copycat websites and rogue advertising, which is designed to hoodwink consumers into paying for government services online.
The move comes just weeks after Google was forced to rip down a website which was charging people up to £40 for tax disc transactions which are free on the official DVLA site.
A link to the site was also appearing at the top of search listings as a Google advertisement until it was discovered to be fake.
More than 5,000 complaints about copycat sites were made to Citizens Advice last year and 700 were made to the Advertising Standards Authority. The most common complaints involved tax returns, driving licences, EHICs and passports.
The websites typically enable users to order official documents but add a “service fee” on top of any official charges.
The National Trading Standards Board (NTSB) said the five arrests made last week were under the Fraud Act and for consumer protection from unfair trading regulations. All five have been released on police bail.
The arrests coincide with a government advertising campaign designed to raise awareness of the issue. It includes a video warning people to be alert to the misleading websites, which often use URLs that include fragments such as ‘govuk’, ‘directgov’ or relevant organisation names.
Similar design features are also included to look and feel like the official sites.
NTSB chairman Lord Harris said: “We have been working with search engines such as Google and Bing to remove adverts from online search results and we continue to gather intelligence across the country to help tackle this issue.
“We urge you to avoid unofficial websites which could leave you out of pocket or at risk of identity theft. Only use the Gov.uk website to find Government services. If you come across copycat websites, report them to Citizens Advice.”
Martin Lewis, creator of the consumer financial advice site MoneySavingExpert, said: “Copycat websites disguise themselves as the real thing, but charge you for a useless service. I’ve lost count of the number of people who contact me upset and want to know how to get their cash back.”
Consumer Affairs minister Jo Swinson said: “The enforcement action which the National Trading Standards eCrime team has taken demonstrates the Government’s commitment to tackling these scammers. We will not let them get away with misleading consumers.”
The ASA has already taken action against sites which charge to block nuisance calls and sign people up to the Telephone Preference Service, although strictly they are not illegal if the charges are flagged up.

Related stories
Tax scam site ripped down
Paid-for TPS firms under attack
ASA slams ‘nuisance call block’ site
ASA bans ad for TPS ‘paid-for’ rival

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