United Kingdom - The UK National Trading Standards eCrime Team has taken on copycat websites

In a crackdown on copycat web sites by the National Trading Standards eCrime Team, five people have been arrested across the UK. The crackdown taken last week also sees the suspension of at least 25 copycat websites.

Ordering new passports, booking driving tests and renewing car tax are just some of the ways that consumers are unwittingly being left out-of-pocket by shrewd fraudsters who operate ‘copycat’ websites. By imitating official government services online, copycat websites are designed to trick consumers into parting with cash unnecessarily by charging users for services that are provided cheaper or free-of-charge through official government channels.

Over 5,000 complaints were made to Citizens Advice last year and 700 were made to the UK Advertising Standards Authority. Alongside these enforcement efforts National Trading Standards is issuing advice for consumers to beat the cyber con-artists, including this video guide: http://www.tradingstandardsecrime.org.uk/copycat-web-site-crackdown-2/ and an infographic.