Fake EHIC / E111 website: scam £35 fee

Hermione_Granger

paula.paula13 wrote: »

The only reason I realised it was a fake site is that I had to do it again to complete my son's and then I spotted the disclaimer at the bottom re it not being the real website!

It is not a fake website. They clearly state multiple times that they are offering to provide a paid for service. If you didn't read this or didn't understand what it meant, that's hardly their fault.

heatherw_01 wrote: »

Not sure why you cancelled the card? The payment was taken as you authorised it, it wasn't an unauthorised charge.

Because some people can't or won't accept responsibility for their actions or inactions.
I can see the card issuer honouring the payment and the OP ending up paying for the service that they requested and authorised.

waamo

Crikey you're not having much luck with holidays are you? https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6055690/scammed-need-to-cancel-travel-package-paid-for-off-site

bradders1983

waamo wrote: »

Crikey you're not having much luck with holidays are you? https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6055690/scammed-need-to-cancel-travel-package-paid-for-off-site

Aye you would think that someone who spends "a lot of time helping people with consumer rights disputes" would be a bit more wise to it :beer:

bobblebob

Its amazing how people just willingly put their card details into any old website without giving it a seconds thought.

soolin

bradders1983 wrote: »

Aye you would think that someone who spends "a lot of time helping people with consumer rights disputes" would be a bit more wise to it :beer:

Absolutely!

MEM62

You lightbulb moment should have been the point where you are asked to put card details in for something that is issued free of charge. (Holds head in hands in disbelief)

It is a con but it is not fraudulent. You used their service. OK, it is a service that you did not need to use and only provided something that you could of obtained for free - but use it you did and cancelling your card is unlikely to prevent you from incurring the costs that you agreed to.

Pollycat

Maybe it's worth pointing out - for the umpteenth time - that these companies don't just deal in charging for EHICs.

• Passport application/renewal
• Applications for driving licences
• Applications for driving test - theory and practical
• Applications for ESTA
• Applications for various visas - including India and Turkey
• Submission of tax returns

I'm sure there's more.

I did think that the Government had cracked down on these websites.

It's your money, you should really take care of who you give it to - whether it's applying for a passport or buying cosmetics from a pop-up store in a shopping mall or buying what you think is a bargain original designer handbag from a website that looks shonky and almost certainly is.

giraffe69

If people stuck to websites that end .gov.uk that would avoid quite a lot of problems.

Pollycat

George_Michael wrote: »

There is also a disclaimer on both pages that you have to go through when filling in your personal details:


so even without attempting to read their T&C's, that's at least 4 different times that it's made clear that they are offering a paid for service and that you can get the card without paying if you go direct to the NHS.

TBH, it would be hard to miss that disclaimer on the website that the OP used.
It's not hidden in tiny text, it's actually in bold.
And it's visible on the front page when you first access the website.
And if you miss that, it's immediately below the 'NEXT STEP' button after you enter your name details.


This is what it says:

ETA - it's bigger on the website than it appears in this post.

A friend of mine who says (thinks) she is computer-savvy told me that you now have to pay for EHIC.
I said 'no you don't'.
She didn't believe me until she revisited the website and realised she'd missed the writ large disclaimer that it wasn't the official website.

I posted this waaaay back in April 2014.

bobblebob

Ironically their is less information to fill out on the genuine ehic site than these sitea charging for the service. So the process is longer