A friend has just been crying on my shoulder, wanted to know why the VED was £40 

more than i told them it was going to be. Money gone from their Debit Card.

 

They had Logged into 

http://taxdisc-direct.co.uk

 

Not knowing they were not Buying online from the DVLA. But using an Agent.

The bank will not care, the DVLA do not care, & the Government and Police do nothing.

 

This is being allowed to go on by the UK Government for all sorts, HMRC, Passports, etc

 

Buyer Beware.

bloody hell, that website layout and colouring are VERY convincing and misleading.

 

Easy to see how the less tech-savvy could be duped by that. Hopefully it'll get shut down.

See what you mean, but there is a tiny disclaimer in the top right corner.

 

The T&Cs are for a different website to do with driving licenses.

 

Now they also suggest you have entered into a contract, the OP needs to make sure its a one off thing and not a rolling contract otherwise they could be stung again in the future.

See what you mean, but there is a tiny disclaimer in the top right corner.

I saw that too, but only because I was looking as the OP alerted me. If you didn't know, would you have checked?

Really **** me off those websites, same with passports & EHIC.

 

Serach engines are largely to blame for allowing them to appear as an advertised link at the top of the page.

Yes, that website is a little fishy, but they do clearly state the £40 fee on the homepage, plus not being linked to DVLA etc.

 

However, people with no common sense / scepticism will fall for it, and all I can really say to help is "Live and learn"

Really **** me off those websites, same with passports & EHIC.

 

Serach engines are largely to blame for allowing them to appear as an advertised link at the top of the page.

that could open a whole different debate regards who's to blame.

You get your Tax Disc, you get your Conformation Email from the DVLA because they buy you a Tax Disc.

Its just your Money goes to them with the £40 charge and their card pays the DVLA.

 

I know its fraudulent, and you can all see it is.

It happened once to me that i ended up on a similar site,

when i was on the DVLA site declaring SORN and somehow i was transferred and asked for £40.

I know i was on the DVLA site that time & a portal or whatever opened.

 

If you do it on a smart phone do you see the top right corner?

If you normally buy at the Post Office as my friend does, you can get caught out.

He thought i conned him with the car i sold him.

You could argue it's people own fault for not reading whole page etc, however, at the end of the day there are plenty of people out there including uneducated or limited computer skills who struggle to do stuff online and fall pray.

I'm not suggesting you can stop these websites appearing, but if you remove them from the top of the first results page it at least gives people a fighting chance.

But on the renewal form it gives you the web site address to use.

Anyone who uses the dodgy website needs to take a long hard look at themselves.

There have been enough warnings about these sites lately, be it car tax discs or EHIC cards.

I think the same advice has been given every time, if the web site you go to does not have .gov in it then it is not the official site.

Buyer beware!!

sippo,

Or put their glasses on if using a Smart phone.

 

There are cases where people are on .gov.uk and some how a portal opens to the likes of the .co.uk

even in HMRC sites but they and the Government Minister says it can not happen.

 

Radio 4 Money Box ran the Story a few weeks ago, and the Government Spokes Person said they would have to look into it, there was no evidence of it happening only anecdotal evidence .

Even though Accountants had been caught out.

There have been enough warnings about these sites lately, be it car tax discs or EHIC cards.

I think the same advice has been given every time, if the web site you go to does not have .gov in it then it is not the official site.

Buyer beware!!

Have there? First I'd heard of them. Definitely cheeky and more than a little dishonest.

I heard of this last week from a friend, I agree the disclaimers are clear but the similarity is alarming.

 

If you have the form it's very clear on what site to use.

 

We live and learn but many will be caught out.

These sites while strictly legal are targeting people who assume they are the real thing and don't/won/t read the small print and therefore think the extra charge is normal.  They have been around for years and are better at getting themselves noticed on the search engines than the official sites.  

 

Several years ago I was going over to the US for a holiday and needed to fill in the ESTA, it took me a while to find the official site as every search I did ended up on one of these unofficial sites which charged for what was free at the time!

 

What is worrying is people saying that they have been re-directed from an official site to one of these!

 

Personally I have bought my car and bike tax online for several years with no issue, always typed the address in that was sent on the reminder though.

It's scary that there are people thick enough to fall for that driving around in cars!

I am quite surprised anybody would go to one of these sites, I have a tax renewal in front of me now and in big letters there is a web address that takes you straight to the pay online Government website, simple really.

 

 As for the website that charges £40 to tax your car for you I guess this is an opportunity to make money and it is working too.

 

Couple of people I know have been caught by the same thing - passport applications etc. Website looks genuine but they charged extra £40 for the privilege.

Do you type the address into the Computer or phone. www.gov.uk/taxdisc

 

Which is no longer LARGE on the reminder, it is small above the LARGE reference number

Or in the Yellow Post It below the LARGER Phone Number.

My mate was looking at the Reference Number and typed into Google, he did not type an address on the phone.

(actually he probably spoke to the phone and said "dvla tax online" he never showed me.

i just new what he had done when he said it was £40 more to tax than i said it would be)

 

Or do you type on Google  dvla tax online.   

 

thats what my mate did, iphone, typed dvla tax online and just hit the one he looked at.

So totally stupid and it has cost him £40,

but i suspect someone not clued in like all us that do it on computers or regularly will never be caught out.

 

They prey on the daft or careless.  So nobody here will ever get caught out, we all type in full Web Addresses.

 

EDIT, PS

I just tried Voice Search Google on my phone.

"dvla tax online"  but only the Genuine GOV. pages showed on my phone on the first page.

But if I was searching I would just do "car tax" and then it is at the top as an advertised link (Google).

Just make sure it has GOV in the web address

There is a similar thing if you apply for a US Visa. There is the official US Goverment site that charges $14 or various other sites who charge considerably more for the same service.

But if I was searching I would just do "car tax" and then it is at the top as an advertised link (Google).

But then the next three hits are GOV sites.  The Ad site has a clear 'Ad' marking so not really feeling much sympathy at the moment!

While I don't that site is another other than a con, why does something always have to be someone else's fault?

Nothing on here about being anyones elses fault.  

The person that has paid out £40 was at fault for being careless or clueless and the £40 lesson is maybe worth it.

(he does not see it that way yet, wasting his time today calling the DVLA, & his Bank.)

 

Post was posted as a warning, only the stupid get caught out.

 

But there are worse Sites than this, that can cost people Hundreds of Quid.