GHIC Scammer Sites

marmite1979

Could MSE put up address of site who are charging for free GHIC formerly EHIC? Not only are they charging £14 for something that's free they also use a form requesting details that they do not need and could be used for fraudulent purposes. these are NI Number and NHS Number.
Does Bing offer a ''flag up'' service to report sites so they do not come out top in searches for GHIC or EHIC?  I find them worse than google for placing sponsored sites ahead of genuine one you want.
I've started with:
EHIC (ehicdirect.co.uk)

Westin

They have

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/family/copycat-websites/

And more importantly they tell you how to get the free GHIC card.

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/free-ehic-card/

Be careful when using Google/Bing for searches and take more care that you are not clicking on an advert to such websites that charge you to make the application on your behalf. 

marmite1979

Westin said:

They have

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/family/copycat-websites/

And more importantly they tell you how to get the free GHIC card.

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/free-ehic-card/

Be careful when using Google/Bing for searches and take more care that you are not clicking on an advert to such websites that charge you to make the application on your behalf. 

I almost got fooled, until I spotted the £14 fee. Then remembered my last one was free.

TELLIT01

Always use official sites such as gov.uk or nhs.uk.  Never use anything else for anything to do with government associated documents or payments.  Do not assume that the site at the top of the list is the best one to use.

Pollycat

These types of websites get closed down and new ones open so expecting MSE to keep a list updated would be like painting the Forth Bridge.

It's not just GHIC.
All sorts of different websites for things like ESTA and other visa type applications.

It also used to be for passport applications, driving test - theory & practical - even fishing licences!

Although Google say that adverts for unofficial services selling government documents such as travel permits and driving licences are against Google's own rules, they don't seem to act very quickly to close these websites down.

BBC article from last year:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-56886957
"Google has failed to stop "shyster" websites advertising on its search engine, despite promising to fix the problem, the BBC has found."

Don't rely on others to protect your money.
Like Westin says, be careful with internet searches and make sure you are on the official website.

eskbanker

Westin said:

And more importantly they tell you how to get the free GHIC card.

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/free-ehic-card/

Agreed - I'm struggling to get to grips with the concept of someone visiting the site in the hope of finding a list of the wrong sites when they publish the correct one (and the generic warning about copycat sites)!

marmite1979

eskbanker said:

Westin said:

And more importantly they tell you how to get the free GHIC card.

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/free-ehic-card/

Agreed - I'm struggling to get to grips with the concept of someone visiting the site in the hope of finding a list of the wrong sites when they publish the correct one (and the generic warning about copycat sites)!

I visited it by mistake as it's one of the sites that pay Microsoft to be first in the search. Nothing wrong in naming each scam site the more they get listed as scammers the more they appear on internet searches as one.

Pollycat

marmite1979 said:

eskbanker said:

Westin said:

And more importantly they tell you how to get the free GHIC card.

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/free-ehic-card/

Agreed - I'm struggling to get to grips with the concept of someone visiting the site in the hope of finding a list of the wrong sites when they publish the correct one (and the generic warning about copycat sites)!

I visited it by mistake as it's one of the sites that pay Microsoft to be first in the search. Nothing wrong in naming each scam site the more they get listed as scammers the more they appear on internet searches as one.

Like I said - painting the Forth Bridge.

TBH, the more I read on here about people 'unwittingly signing up' for monthly membership to some website or paying for something that's free or paying extra for an admin fee to a non-official website, the more I think warnings to beware go straight over some people's head.

Same as warnings about KIWI or eDreams.
Despite there being many threads and thousands of posts about these companies and others like them, people still use them, don't get what they expected/thought they'd paid for and then post yet another warning - which goes straight over most people's heads.

Same as warnings about buying from Facebook.

Same as buying from a company that you think is based in the UK but is actually in China.

Sometimes I despair.

marmite1979
If you think that MSE could do more regarding this, you could always post the suggestion on the Site Feedback board.
However, I think that you'd probably get the same answer as from eskbanker.

eskbanker

marmite1979 said:

eskbanker said:

Westin said:

And more importantly they tell you how to get the free GHIC card.

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/free-ehic-card/

Agreed - I'm struggling to get to grips with the concept of someone visiting the site in the hope of finding a list of the wrong sites when they publish the correct one (and the generic warning about copycat sites)!

I visited it by mistake as it's one of the sites that pay Microsoft to be first in the search. Nothing wrong in naming each scam site the more they get listed as scammers the more they appear on internet searches as one.

But there would be risk in MSE publishing a list of sites deemed suspicious, as it inevitably wouldn't be complete and people would complain of being misled if going to a site that MSE hadn't warned them about!  MSE also has to tread carefully in legal terms about asserting that named sites are 'scams' (by some definitions) so will often err on the side of caution, rather than devoting resources to validating such claims prior to publication within its editorial control and responsibility.

So, the MSE approach of publishing the correct site, while also generically highlighting the existence of less reputable ones (rather than trying to identify them all individually), seems eminently sensible to me, and the point I was making was that, as a traveller looking for where to obtain a GHIC card, why would I expect a site like MSE to list specific sites where not to get one, as well as showing the one correct place?

Pollycat

eskbanker said:

marmite1979 said:

eskbanker said:

Westin said:

And more importantly they tell you how to get the free GHIC card.

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/free-ehic-card/

Agreed - I'm struggling to get to grips with the concept of someone visiting the site in the hope of finding a list of the wrong sites when they publish the correct one (and the generic warning about copycat sites)!

I visited it by mistake as it's one of the sites that pay Microsoft to be first in the search. Nothing wrong in naming each scam site the more they get listed as scammers the more they appear on internet searches as one.

But there would be risk in MSE publishing a list of sites deemed suspicious, as it inevitably wouldn't be complete and people would complain of being misled if going to a site that MSE hadn't warned them about!  MSE also has to tread carefully in legal terms about asserting that named sites are 'scams' (by some definitions) so will often err on the side of caution, rather than devoting resources to validating such claims prior to publication within its editorial control and responsibility.

So, the MSE approach of publishing the correct site, while also generically highlighting the existence of less reputable ones (rather than trying to identify them all individually), seems eminently sensible to me, and the point I was making was that, as a traveller looking for where to obtain a GHIC card, why would I expect a site like MSE to list specific sites where not to get one, as well as showing the one correct place?

I was about to make the same point.

NoodleDoodleMan

"Like I said - painting the Forth Bridge."

Which is not due for several years since a new finishing process was completed in 2011 with a 25 year life span.