Driving Licence Replacement Scam!

treecol

Just seen this thread & the postcode SO240HJ is my postcode too. The business units that advertise the address are at the farm just up the road - if you google Hills Farm at West Tisted there they are. The phone number is linked to that address too. I have a feeling that they (Hall) are connected to the village of West Tisted.This info probably doesn't help you though, just saying.

gypsy93

I'm not allowed to post the link as a new user..but Claire and Peter hall are being prosecuted for fraud to the tune of thirty million quid..you can read the news article in the Hampshire chronicle dated Tuesday 27th January..:j

rrtt

madsonlee wrote: »

I hate to say I've just got caught out by this site, I only found out when the DVLA returned my sons provisional license application and told me about it! I

Its very mis-leading, the DVLA know about it as does Citizens Advice and the trading standards , so know I am fifty pounds out of pocket and nothing I can do about it

This is the first time I have been caught out by a site like this, its all very well saying you should follow the instructions but I stupidly thought I was and that you could apply on line for a license. Nowhere on the application part does it say its a checking services, very very misleading

Me too, am in shock, the first time I've ever been caught out after 17 years on the net.

It was NOT at all obvious, I googled DVLA and a very official looking site came up with a disclaimer I only found later in minute print almost out of sight, top RH corner on a black background.
Is called uklicenceservices.co.uk. Looks 100% plausible and appears on top (not called an ad) of all other search results including the official DVLA.

Found out my mistake a few hours later and immediately rang bank to get credit card and transaction blocked. But my main fear is having given all significant info such as NI number, passport and driving licence numbers, DOB , mother's maiden name etc. Had also been misled by their being registered at companies house - but discovered later that the website is based in the USA ...

Pollycat

rrtt
Have you been in touch with them to cancel the application?

Their T&Cs state:

10. Cancellation Policy
If an order is cancelled before it has been processed, a full refund will be issued.

I know you say you've cancelled the transaction with your bank but I've read of cases where banks have later reinstated the transaction as they say it was valid because the website stated they were not affiliated to the official website.
I agree that the disclaimer in the top right-hand corner is very tiny.

I wouldn't worry too much about the personal information you've provided.
These types of companies are interested in getting money from people (in the form of the service charge) rather than using personal data for fraud.

Strider590

Pollycat wrote: »

These types of companies are interested in getting money from people (in the form of the service charge) rather than using personal data for fraud.

You obviously don't know how valuable your personal data is, JUST an email address can be worth over £1 each. Imagine who they can sell your data to. The irony is the DVLA have been doing it for years.

Pollycat

Strider590 wrote: »

You obviously don't know how valuable your personal data is, JUST an email address can be worth over £1 each. Imagine who they can sell your data to. The irony is the DVLA have been doing it for years.

Of course I know how valuable my personal data is.

The point I was making is that these companies haven't so far been found to be using the personal data they collect - because that's not the business they are in unlike companies/individuals who specifically phish for personal details with a view to committing fraud.

If rrtt had said he'd given his personal details in response to a phishing email or to a bloke in the street, that part of my reply would have been very different.

rrtt

Pollycat wrote: »

rrtt
Have you been in touch with them to cancel the application?

Their T&Cs state:
I know you say you've cancelled the transaction with your bank but I've read of cases where banks have later reinstated the transaction as they say it was valid because the website stated they were not affiliated to the official website.
I agree that the disclaimer in the top right-hand corner is very tiny.

I wouldn't worry too much about the personal information you've provided.
These types of companies are interested in getting money from people (in the form of the service charge) rather than using personal data for fraud.

I did try to cancel - but their online form wouldn't send as far as I could see, and the given email got a delivery failure. I did get a transaction notification email however, which I replied to saying I wish to cancel.

They *say* they are registered at Companies House - but aren't... I also googled their registered address in London, and discovered it's an address which is regularly sold/rented out to fraudsters!! :eek:
Whereupon I completed an online report to the police (actionfraud).

I also later successfully completed the proper .gov DVLA form - might be worth noting for others that they tell you to cut your old licence in half and return to them - and am about to ring them telling them of the scam - I appreciate the comment that they seem to be conning you out of dosh rather than thieving IDs, but even so, if the DVLA can give me a new licence number rather than re-using the old one, I'll feel more comfortable.

Thanks for all the support everyone.

[Deleted User]

It is a scam, of course it is going to be very misleading.

Pollycat

Deleted_User wrote: »

It is a scam, of course it is going to be very misleading.

The websites are designed to catch out the unwary.

Years ago, when this first started with - I believe - EHIC, the disclaimer that the website wasn't the official website was in very tiny print and hidden away.

Since then they have been forced to state the disclaimer prominently and some websites even provide a link to the official website.

I also understand that Google have been working to ensure that the official websites appear above these copycat websites.

There's a whole raft of 'services', not just driving licences.

These include:
Passport application/ renewal
Booking driving theory test
Booking driving test
Submitting tax return
EHIC
ESTA
Fishing licences

rrtt

Pollycat wrote: »

The websites are designed to catch out the unwary.

Years ago, when this first started with - I believe - EHIC, the disclaimer that the website wasn't the official website was in very tiny print and hidden away.

Since then they have been forced to state the disclaimer prominently and some websites even provide a link to the official website.

I also understand that Google have been working to ensure that the official websites appear above these copycat websites.

There's a whole raft of 'services', not just driving licences.

These include:
Passport application/ renewal
Booking driving theory test
Booking driving test
Submitting tax return
EHIC
ESTA
Fishing licences

This particular one's disclaimer is still in miniscule print tho - top right, white on the black banner, barely visible. And it still appeared above the official site when googled yesterday, despite apparently having had warnings listed about it in 2013 ...

Anyway, the better news this morning is that both the DVLA and police (actionfraud) reckon that it's 'just' conning people to unnnecessarily pay a fee, rather than being serious ID theft. The DVLA in particular said that Google wouldn't allow the org to be listed if they were actually criminal? (not sure about this myself ... I have my own website which is google-able, where I could be conning people for all Google knows? *hasten to say that I'm not though!! )