I was fooled by a copycat website – it was the top google result

Metro’s money expert Andy Webb has seen every trick in the book when it comes to online scams — but even he was fooled by a convincing copycat website. (Credits: Getty Images)

A nearby property recently put up plans to redevelop from a business to flats, something we’re not keen on just
a few doors down from our home.

As part of our objection I wanted to check our deeds. When we moved we didn’t receive them, so I popped on to Google to see if I could get them from the Land Registry.

Right at the top of the search results was Land Registry UK. So I clicked on that and was presented with options – the title register and the title plan for £24.95 each, or both for £44.95.

Not being sure which one I needed, or if I required both, I thought I’d just read up about them. This next search brought up the gov.uk website, along with how to get a copy of our deeds – at just £7 per deed.

I’d almost fallen for a common hazard of search engines. The first site I visited looked legitimate, and it was called Land Registry UK, which sounds official. I was, after all, wanting to visit the UK Land Registry website.

But instead I’d been close to handing over cash to a third party website that would simply have acted as a middleman and charged me for the privilege. It was top of the Google search results because it had paid to be there.

This pretender website was at the top of the results because it had paid to be there (Credits: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A look back at the search results, and the other ‘sponsored’ listings were HM Land Registry and Land Registry Online, all with similar higher prices. Only below these paid positions do the real – and cheaper – official government webpages appear. It feels like a scam but technically, these and similar sites are not doing anything wrong, since if people want to pay for this service they can.

But by choosing URLs that make it appear to be the actual Land Registry, it’s obviously set up to get people who don’t know what they’re looking for, or don’t have the time to check the small print on the webpages.

It’d be hard to argue that people landing on these websites don’t believe it’s the official Land Registry service.

That’s not the only example. If you’re going to Europe on holiday or business travel, you’ll want to have a GHIC (Global Health Insurance Card), along with your travel insurance.

The Global Health Insurance Card is free, and easily available from the NHS website – but if you didn’t know, clicking the wrong result could have you losing money (Credits: Shutterstock / Darren Baker)

This card replaced the EHIC after Brexit, but it’s vital as it ensures you can get medical treatment at the same cost as a local in those countries. This card is free, and easily available from the NHS website. But there’s been a long history of dodgy middlemen promoting websites that would charge £20 to get the card.

Now it seems Google has taken action to ban these misleading ads, including similar ones for government services such as passport renewals. But that doesn’t mean other websites and social channels won’t serve them up.

Don’t get misled by debt relief pretenders

Debt advice is another area rife with copycat websites. Search for the independent and free charities such as StepChange and National Debtline, and the top sponsored results are named along the lines of The Debt Advice Service or National Debt Relief.

In the past I’ve seen some even closer in name, and with websites designed to look like the real thing. Someone clicking these doppelgängers might ultimately have paid for support with their debts, and potentially received the wrong advice.

Sadly, the number of these debt relief pretenders forces legitimate sites also to pay to appear in the sponsored section, knowing that many users won’t scroll down past the ads – costing money that charities could use to help those in need.

I’m sure there are other services that should be free or relatively cheap which are victims of similar practices. So what can you do about it?

Be vigilant

Vigilance is key. Pay attention to see if the search results or adverts are labelled ‘sponsored’. It could still be the legitimate company you’re after, but it’s a warning to double check it’s not an imitator.

Then, if you’re being asked to pay for anything that’s official, it’s worth double, if not triple-checking that you’re on the right website, and that a cheaper, if not free, alternative isn’t available.

Follow award-winning blogger, podcaster and Metro money expert Andy Webb on Instagram and YouTube or visit becleverwithyourcash.com.