MSE News: US travellers' Esta warning after Boris Johnson aide stung by copycat site 24 June 2013 at 5:44PM in Overseas holidays & travel planning 25 replies 3.1K views

Former_MSE_Darryl

"Travellers to the US are being warned not to fall for copycat Esta sites after one of Boris Johnson's senior aides paid more than five times the normal price for one to accompany the London mayor on a visit to San Francisco...."

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US travellers warned over Esta sites after Boris Johnson aide stung by £50 copycat



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Pollycat

It would be interesting to know which website the aide used to see if it was clearly stated on there that you could get the ESTA cheaper from the official source.

I think a lot (if not all) the EHIC websites seem to point out (and not hidden in the small print either) that you can get the EHIC free from the official website. Some even provide the link to the free website.
The stance they seem to be taking is that they offer a 'value-add' service for the fee they charge.

It's not only renewal of driving licences either.
Beware when booking a driving test that you use the official website.

And also check to make sure you use the correct website when applying for or renewing your passport.

pogofish

Considering the amount of discussion about these rip-off sites on here and so many other places, I really must wonder about the fitness for the job of any "aide" so taken-in!

worried_jim

"The mistake reveals just how simple it can be to fall for one of the many copycat websites offering the scheme – even for leading politicians."

No- it just shows how thick they are, and lets not forget it is London taxpayers who have footed the bill for this stupidity.

agrinnall

pogofish wrote: »

Considering the amount of discussion about these rip-off sites on here and so many other places, I really must wonder about the fitness for the job of any "aide" so taken-in!

And not just any aide, but a "senior aide". Given Boris' reputation as a bufoon perhaps he hires similar direct employees to keep him company.

Kite2010

The aide probably gave it to an unpaid intern to carry out, and the intern probably clicked the first link he/she came to when searching without doing any research whatsoever

Pincher

I got taken in by an EHIC copycat site, so I can't sneer at anyone who gets taken in by something similar. All anyone does is to do a search, and these sites are designed to fool you.

Fortunately the credit card company refunded my money, but if I had paid with a debit card, it's probably gone for good.

The crooks are doing the same thing with passport renewal.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/hm-passport-office-warns-customers-against-charges-by-rogue-companies

Surely impersonating government departments with the possibility of stealing personal information is a criminal offence?

Coopdivi

After reading this article, I looked at half a dozen of these websites offering ESTAs and not one of them offered a link to the official site or indeed even mentioned it.

They all waffled on about what a comprehensive service they offered but most of them were pretty reticent about how much they were going to charge. Obviously a prospective customer was going to find that out after filling out the website's application form.

Mr. Lister would be wise to use a website reputation service like Web of Trust or Webutation to avoid being scammed/misled in the future.

photome

Pincher wrote: »

I got taken in by an EHIC copycat site, so I can't sneer at anyone who gets taken in by something similar. All anyone does is to do a search, and these sites are designed to fool you.

Fortunately the credit card company refunded my money, but if I had paid with a debit card, it's probably gone for good.

The crooks are doing the same thing with passport renewal.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/hm-passport-office-warns-customers-against-charges-by-rogue-companies

Surely impersonating government departments with the possibility of stealing personal information is a criminal offence?

why are they crooks? they are offering a service.

The post office offers a service to check and send passports, the same as some of these websites, does that make the post office crooks.

opinions4u

photome wrote: »

why are they crooks? they are offering a service.

If you can show me how their "service" adds value for the customer I'll take your post seriously.

zerog

worried_jim wrote: »

"The mistake reveals just how simple it can be to fall for one of the many copycat websites offering the scheme – even for leading politicians."

No- it just shows how thick they are, and lets not forget it is London taxpayers who have footed the bill for this stupidity.

Apparently not:

"Now that it has been highlighted, Sir Edward will refund the difference to ensure no additional cost to the taxpayer."

Just because people in government are thick doens't meant that everyone else is, though.