 |
Summer is now upon
us, and many people will be thinking about jetting away on holiday. If you require a passport then Cumbria
Trading Standards Service is warning people of websites which may look like
they are taking a fee for the full cost of a passport and checking service
when, in fact, the fee paid is only to have your application examined.
As these copycat websites provide
some basic information and look a lot like the genuine passport office website,
many people are being conned. Many
people have mistakenly paid for this checking service, with some companies
charging up to £45 per enquiry. The
passport fee will also be required so this scam makes applying for a passport
very expensive.
It is not a requirement to have
your passport application checked but, for peace of mind, then the Post Office
does offer such a service at a much lower price and they will deliver your form
securely to the Passport Office. The
forms you need for a new passport can be picked up at your local Post Office
branch or online. Advice can also be
found in a branch, on the official website or by calling 0300 222 0000.
If you want someone to check over the form you can pay a fee of £8.75. This means if there is anything missing it
can be amended without having to send off an entirely new application
Visit http://www.postoffice.co.uk/passport-check-send for further information or visit your local Post Office to enquire.
For general consumer advice
please contact Trading Standards via the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on
08454 040506 or to report a scam, contact Action Fraud UK
Message sent by
|
Margaret Hodgson (Cumbria County Council, Administrator, Cumbria)
|