DO NOT USE THIS WEBSITE - I have been scammed

[ihavebeenscammed]

Aghhhhhhh so angry.

Needed to renew DD's passport, googled the passport website and clicked on the following link

uk-passport.net/

Was in a rush and filled out the form for a renewal for under 16, and put my credit card details in for 46 passport fee.

Form came back completed in the post a few days later and I took it to the post office with the photos and did check and send, paid again but didn't think anything of it as a message came up when I put my credit card details on the site saying they wouldn't charge my card until the form was submitted.

Anyway turns out it is a total scam, they are not related to the passport office and are just charging you the fee simply to send you out the form you complete online. I realised when checking my credit card bill and saw I had paid twice, once the fee to uk-passport.net and once the check and send fee so rang to find out.

There actually is a disclaimer at the top of the site saying they are unconnected to the passport office, but I didn't notice this. I feel such a fool as am normally so careful about this stuff but was in a rush needed to get a passport quickly.

The guy at the passport office said I was lucky I had done check and send as people have sent their forms back thinking they have paid but then they get delayed as they haven't actually paid and people have missed their holiday he said loads of people are getting sucked into this.

They can't shut this site down, and apparently they are doing the same with DVLA applications and other.

My credit card company are disputing the transcation for me so hopefully I will get the money back they were also aware of the site and have had lots of customers have the same problem.

So Mad!!!!!!

[ihavebeenscammed]

Jeez Duckworth I take it you have never done something stupid before. I said I was in a rush feel a fool but thanks for rubbing it in.

Yes I didn't read it but these sites prey on fools like me and are cashing in on completely misleading people ok not illegal but do everything they can to appear to be something they are not

If I had realised it was a form filling site I wouldn't have used it.

[ihavebeenscammed]

Thanks jumbled I will look at that.

[SaucyJack]

You're not the first to fall for this scam, and you won't be the last.

My DP- who has a philosophy degree so not desperately stupid- almost fell for three in a row whilst trying to renew his driving licence. Luckily I managed to slap his bank card out of his hand at the last minute because I'd read about it on MN, but those sites are very, very misleading and not providing a legitimate service anyone would actually choose to pay for if they'd understood the T&C's.

I don't get how it's legal.

[davidjrmum]

ihavebeenscammed - you are not stupid or a fool - you were simply trying to apply for a passport. The people who have these sites will be delighted to read that victims blame themselves and that others blame the victim too. The only people to blame in this situation are those who set up these bogus sites. I really can't understand why we can now all claim for mis-sold loan insurance (ppi) but not claim for things like this.

[BertieBotts]

To me that eh111.org site does look suspect because it looks exactly like a template web page and it has very "stock photography" photos on it. Also the fonts don't look clean or official enough, the bullet points also come across like it's advertising something. You wouldn't expect to see the benefits of a form listed on the site where you can apply for a form because, presumably, you only apply if you know what you want it for. It also has no NHS logo and no kind of government insignia near the top which government websites usually have.

I have a background in web design though so appreciate not all would be able to pick the stylistic bits out at least.

Contrast with the actual page.
//www.nhs.uk/ehic

Very clean, well streamlined site. The familiar NHS choices logo at the top (well, familiar if you visit the NHS website often which admittedly I do, but the NHS logo should be familiar to all British residents). There is one picture which is functional - it's a picture of the card, not "lifestyle pictures" of people on holiday and/or relaxing because they've had the strenuous work of applying done for them. It has factual information only, no "Reasons to choose this over other sites".

I take the point about the ads. But surely most people ignore the yellow-background google results which are ads? I've always mentally skipped past them like I ignore any online ad. Google is also changing these so that they appear more obviously as adverts to limit confusion in this way. (In fact I can't see any ads on my google any more, even when I turn off my adblocker software).

Another thing which is sensible to do when googling something is to skim-read the first few results, the titles, URLs and descriptions, rather than clicking on the first one you see which looks right.

[ihavebeenscammed]

I can't remember what phrase I searched exactly but just clicked on link and didn't really properly read domain name (yes sloppy) as I know .net is not widely used and all gov sites have .gov.uk anyway lesson learned.

[scottishmummy]

You've not been scammed at all.you've not read the conditions of use

[ihavebeenscammed]

Thanks Davidjrmum.

Scottishmummy read the thread

[scottishmummy]

I have read thread.youve not been. Scammed.you paid a 3rd party to fill form

[ihavebeenscammed]

Whatever

[scottishmummy]

As you say There was a disclaimer on site.which in your haste you missed

[scottishmummy]

No,whatever,in your haste you didn't read t&c or disclaimer now you feel aggrieved

[ihavebeenscammed]

Scottishmummy yes I am pissed off I didn't read it properly and I want to vent and i don't want other people similarly taken in hence my thread but your helpful comments are appreciated.

[scottishmummy]

Clearly you're annoyed,but no you've not been scammed
These sites do imply an official or authentic capacity,and rely in folk not checking
Lesson learned youll not do it again

[ihavebeenscammed]

Thanks for continuing to rub it in

[scottishmummy]

There nothing to rub in,understandably you feel daft
But this isn't an omg,quick alert the mn massive to illegal or a immoral act
You weren't scammed.end of

[diddl]

Does the GOV site offer a form filling in service for free?

If so that makes it easier to be caught out I would have thought.

We always print off the forms to fill in as are abraod so couldn't do online anyway.

[ihavebeenscammed]

WTF my thread title is do not use this site I have put it on Facebook and on my twitter I know I was duped I don't want a load of sympathy I just don't understand the need for everyone to come on and say yes but technically you weren't scammed!

[MediumOrchid]

It is most definitely a scam. The entire point of these websites is to trick people into paying for something they could get for free. Yes, they have a disclaimer, but not in a prominent place.

Yes, it's very easy to tell people they're stupid for falling for it, just wait until you are in hurry or distracted and make a silly mistake and see how you feel. It just makes it worse for the person knowing that they should have noticed it was a scam.

I personally don't understand how these sites are allowed to exist.

[ihavebeenscammed]

Thanks Kim. Diddl you can fill out form on official site as I used correct site 2.5 years ago for DD1.

[JumbledAndTumbled]

IHaveBeenScammed if I were you I would ignore the mean unhelpful posters. Loads and loads of people get caught out by this type of thing. I bet every single poster on this thread has been caught out by 'tricksy' ( ) supermarket pricing or overly complicated bank/travel/insurance costs.

MNHQ need to sort out a hide poster function

[winterkills]

I sympathise with this. I wanted to apply for USA visas the other day and really struggled to determine which site was the genuine one.

[somedayillbesaturdaynite]

I realised a few moments after paying when it billed me £60 for renewing (it didn't say an amount until after) and emailed quoting distance selling regulations (total blag i haven't got a clue) and they voided payment straight away. it took a few days to reappear in my account but then my bank statement/transaction history looked as if it had never happened