OFT investigates websites selling free government services

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has issued a warning about the ongoing problem of deceptive websites charging for free government services.

A year after taking enforcement action against four websites that were charging up to £40 for European Health Insurance Cards (EHIC) which are free, the OFT has widened its remit.

The OFT, which is charged with monitoring consumer rights told Computeractive that it was taking the "unusual step" of announcing its investigation at the outset to alert people to the problem.

"We have continued to monitor sites that were under investigation last year, many of which charged fees for EHIC, which are free. But we have received many complaints and alerts about sites selling other government services that are either free or sites which impose higher charges for services where there is a cost; such as driving theory tests," a representative for the OFT said.

The OFT said it would not reveal the websites it was currently investigating so as "not to jeopardise its investigation". It also said that it should not be implied that any site it was currently investigating had broken the law.

With the websites it investigated last year, the OFT said it looked to see if any were deceptively presented as official government services - an unfair commercial practice under the Consumer Protection Regulations.

Cavendish Elithorn, senior director of the OFT's goods and consumer group said: "It is important that companies are clear about the service they are offering, and do not trick people into paying for something that they can get for free or much cheaper on government websites.

"We will be considering whether any of the sites under investigation are misleading consumers. With summer holidays approaching, many people will be making applications for EHICs in particular, so we encourage travellers to take time to check that they are using an official government website."

Applications for EHICs can be made free from the NHS website. Driving theory tests can be booked on the Directgov website.