I paid a bogus website to renew my passport and now I'm £72.50 out of pocket and still have no passport - what can I do?

By Rachel Rickard Straus

Published: 02:31 EST, 5 February 2014 | Updated: 03:27 EST, 5 February 2014

I needed to renew my passport and so keyed ‘passport renewal’ into Google. A website called passport.uk.com popped up - I assumed it was the official site. I admit I didn’t read much before clicking on the icon for a renewal form, filled it in, paid £72.50 and waited for the form to arrive by post so I could add my signature.

When the form turned up I duly signed it and sent my old passport and the form in the official passport office envelope provided.

Today I received a letter from the passport office saying I hadn’t paid. I rang them and they explained that a lot of people have done the same thing – that the website I had used was not the official one, but an agency. The agency simply sends you the form – and charges you £72.50 to do it. The passport office said they are aware of this issue but it is legal and they can’t stop it.

So I had to pay the passport office as well – another £75.50.

I’ve phoned my bank, who tell me that because of a disclaimer on the bogus website (which I hadn’t read), there is nothing they can do.

What can I do? How on earth can I tell people about this dishonest site?

LV, by email.

Rachel Rickard Straus from This is Money says: I’m sorry to hear you’ve fallen victim to this unscrupulous website.

Like hundreds of readers who have contacted This is Money, Money Mail and the Financial Mail on Sunday, you have had your hard-earned cash snatched a website that makes its money out of tricking people.

These so-called copycat websites charge hefty fees for services that the official government sites offer for free.

They are designed to look like the official government sites, so people think that they are going through the official channels.

Passport.uk.com is one of these online companies, which charge huge fees for everything from renewing a passport or driving licence to filing a tax return.

Not only do many of the copycat websites look official but people are being encouraged to use them because key internet search engines, such as Google, allow these websites to pay for the right to appear at the top of search lists when consumers type in key words such as ‘passport renewal’.

But despite promises from regulators, Government departments and leading internet search engines to crack down on these websites, many are still operating.

Unfortunately, as you were told the sites are legal – it is not against the law for a company to offer a service similar to that of an official government body and charge for it.

Furthermore, as you were told by your bank, these sites will all have disclaimers in the small print saying that they are not affiliated with the official government sites.

As such, your rights are limited.

You can try to contact passport.uk.com and insist on a refund. Some readers have succeeded in challenging these sites.

I have emailed the company on your behalf as well and await a response.

Otherwise all you can do is help us spread the word so that people are not caught out by these sites.