Motorists have been issued a warning over 'copycat' websites that overcharge people for middle-man services.
These websites claim to offer drivers who are unsure how to renew their licence some assistance, but could end up charging them a major premium. Despite charging motorists upwards of £60, they aren't always needed and in some cases do not reduce the paperwork that an applicant would have to fill in.
The DVLA was contacted by members of the public 1,210 times regarding these middle-man websites in 2021. The agency reminds motorists that they are not connected to DVLA in any way.
Birmingham Live has reported that they were able to find a website which was charging people £89 every three months for a subscription service after a three day free trial.
Oli Townsend, deals expert at MoneySavingExpert commented: "Copycat sites aren’t unlawful, but they dress up as official websites, and use clever tricks to appear higher on search engines – so don’t get caught out.
"They get you to unnecessarily fill in forms and then charge you for the ‘cost’, slipping in their own hefty ‘administration’ or ‘services’ charges on top.
"But really, all they’re doing is forwarding on your application to the official body, which doesn’t mean any less work for you, and then charging you for the ‘privilege’. In most cases, you could have just done it yourself for free, or much cheaper.
"t's important when searching online to only go via the official website and carefully inspect the URL to make sure it’s Gov.uk. If you’re asked to pay for something that’s usually free, that’s a red flag that you’re on a copycat site.
"If it’s a usually paid-for service, know the true cost – in the past we’ve spotted copycats offering a driving licence renewal ‘checking service’ for £60, more than four-times the £14 cost of doing it via Gov.uk."
The expert added that it is always worth checking the "true" price of a paid-for service so that you can tell when you are being overcharged.
This comes after a separate warning issued by motoring experts over dashcam placement. They must stay out of the "red zone" that blocks the driver's view and failure to do so could land you with a £200 fine, three penalty points and even a dangerous driving charge in Scotland.
Gary Digva, founder of Road Angel said: "Putting the dash cam in a position which blocks any vision for you whilst driving is an absolute no-go - you can be subject at the very minimum to three penalty points on your licence."
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