Gavin Williamson, MP for South Staffordshire, has obtained a promise from the Minister of Civil Society that he will take action to address the growing problem of misleading websites, offering access to government services.
Gavin contacted the Minister after a number of constituents raised concerns about rogue websites that mimic official government sites.
Many paid a significant amount for services, such as passports renewals or health cover, only to later discover that they could have obtained the same services much more cheaply or for free through the official site.
On a few occasions, applicants did not even receive the service that they believed they were paying for, but instead were presented with something entirely different, such as a transcription of their application form.
Because many of these sites possess disclaimers in small print – often on a separate page – victims currently have no legal recourse once the deception is discovered.
In a letter to Gavin, the Minister for Civil Society, Nick Hurd MP, wrote: “Despite the OFT’s stance, I want to let you know about what steps I am taking to address the issue of misleading websites offering access to government services. Until recently there has been little consistency, across government, with regards to the recording and monitoring of these sorts of complaints, As a result, I have tasked my officials in the Government Digital Service (GDS) with leading a cross-government exercise to gather that information and provide greater clarity on the scale of the problem.
“This will inform my discussions with ministerial colleagues about how best to address the issues caused by the misleading activity of some third-party websites. The research will also guide government’s engagement with internet search engines with regards to the enforcement of their terms and conditions for sponsored ad products”
On the issue, Gavin said: “I am delighted that the government is looking to address this important issue. It seems absurd that it is still legal to deceive people in this way. In many cases, these are extremely large amounts of money that people are parting with and there can be severe financial repercussions, as well as emotional trauma."