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!!!!!!

[AnyFucker]

this happened to me with applying for the EHIC card last year

it's not a scam as such as you still get what you applied for

it's just you get charged by some shyster company for doig what you could do for yourself free of charge

don't feel a dick, I am well savvy and I still succumbed due to being short of time and just going to the top of google list

it happens

[AnyFucker]

oops, I missed the bunfight on the middle pages

silly me, in a rush and all that

[TalkinPeace]

OP
The website you used is owned by
Webfusion Limited
it has several directors
the one you should be interested in is
Matthew Stephen Mansell born in July 1976 and the director of 18 similar companies and ceased director of 12 more
the company at the centre of the business is
Mesh Digital Limited
which has two addresses

*NOTE: MNHQ have edited this post to remove the personal addresses listed. Even though this information is searchable, we don't feel it's appropriate for it to be listed here.

[Ihavebeenscammed]

Thanks TalkinPeace.

I ruled out getting money back from company Jumbled as they sent me the form and I used it and have the passport now. I think I would have had to have cancelled straight away, as I have basically used their "service" (??!! if you can call it that).

Credit card company are hopefully about disputing payment so will see.

To be honest I feel like I got off lightly after reading the thread about the poster whose DH paid £5k for non existent machinery (although that really was a scam...!!!)

[TalkinPeace]

only if consumers are willing to be shat on
once the backlash starts it will be HUGE

credit cards got hit about ten years ago
debit cards last year

google and all search ads are in the firing line

[littleballerina]

Dp fell for the dvla one. Luckily he managed to get his money back.

[scottishmummy]

Talkin -your posts on this thread are disgusting
You've published man home address and encouraged people to harrass him
Shocking and disproportionate response

[BumPotato]

I fell for the DVLA one.

Talkin has only posted details which are already searchable. These people are making millions providing a "service" no one needs.

[digerd]

It happened to me too in January, but only occurred to me it might be a scam of sorts so told my daughter after speaking on the phone to the real passport office who knew about these websites.
I did request a refund on this particular site and received an e-mail that this had been done.
On my bank statement for Jan and Feb there was no transaction at all regarding this.
I did cancel my card immediately though.

[SabrinaMulhollandJjones]

he pays a LOT of money to google adwords ( my maths say £1000 a day)

Wow. I just googled 'renew passport'. The scam website was the top search result - above the government's site.

On other search engines like Bing - the government's site is the top search result.

Well dodgy, Google....

[digerd]

Mine too which surprised /shocked me/

[Feenie]

But hey, let's just take a moment to feel sorry for one if the directors who set up said companies solely to prey on oeople who are misled into thinking they are legit - poor poor guy

[Trills]

blog.moneysavingexpert.com/2011/10/21/a-blog-in-support-of-stupid-peoples-rights-probably-the-most-important-blog-ive-ever-written/

Even if the "naughty people" (not using the word "scammers") are only preying on stupid people, it's still wrong.

[Stinklebell]

Half the parents of DD's year 6 class last year fell for the EHIC one when we were applying for their year 6 residential.

It was top of the list when you Googled EHIC so it's easily done. I notice on the proper site there's a big red warning so I imagine lots of people have been caught out with it

[bragmatic]

OK, they're not scammers. They're just fuckers. Better?

[SabrinaMulhollandJjones]

This is actually enough to stop me using google as my 'go to' search engine.

Bye bye google.

[Pobblewhohasnotoes]

Martin Lewis is talking about this on this morning right now. Has he been reading mn?

[AnyFucker]

strange coincidence, eh

[BertieBotts]

You'll have exactly the same problem on any other search engine Sabrina. Try bing, yahoo, ask, I expect they'll all throw up these dodgy sites.

[BertieBotts]

I get the official one as #1 result on google but I suspect that's because I'm not in the UK.

[diddl]

That's interesting Bertie.

I also get the GOV one first and am outside UK.