Copycat website 'dupes' motorists into paying £40 extra for tax disc

Copycat websites have proliferated in recent years, partly thanks to the ease with which companies can advertise on search engines such as Google. Other copycat operations target people who search for driving licences, European Health Insurance Cards (Ehics) or tax returns.

Adverts for the copycat sites tend to appear at the top of the page of results when users search for terms such as tax disc or Ehic, causing people to believe that they have found the official website.

The official website (click here to enlarge)

The DVLA said the Government was working with Google and other organisations to raise awareness of the problem and ensure that "enforcement action is taken where appropriate".

A spokesman said: "The Department for Transport is aware of several websites not connected to DVLA or the official government website that are offering services to customers who are applying for tax discs and driving licences. The Office of Fair Trading has ruled that websites which charge additional fees and services are not acting illegally.

"The Government, led by the Cabinet Office, is taking action to tackle rogue websites and is working with organisations such as the Advertising Standards Authority, the National Trading Standards Board, Which? and search engines, including Google, to raise awareness of this issue and to ensure enforcement action is taken where appropriate."

He said consumers could protect themselves from copycat websites by using the main government online portal, gov.uk, as the "first stop" for official services.

The Telegraph reported in February that a website that had "tricked" thousands of people into parting with money had been relaunched . Taxreturngateway.com had previously shut after customers said they were "misled" into paying £500 to file self-assessment returns.

- money@telegraph.co.uk

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