Advertising watchdogs have taken tougher action against unofficial passport application websites which mislead consumers.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) began an investigation after receiving a large number of complains about websites offering access to government services but which are not the official channels.
Earlier this year, it carried out research into the public’s experience of these so-called copycat websites and published the results in July.
Now it has undertaken a investigation into one particular website – www.ukpassportoffices.co.uk – and has ordered it to make changes.
The ASA ruled that the website misleadingly implied that it was the official website for HMPO and was misleading over charges.
It said that although the website included a number of disclaimers, these could easily be overlooked among a great deal of text.
It said much of the vital information would only be read if the consumer scrolled down the page, which many were unlikely to do.
It has told the company to make the disclaimers more prominent, alongside calls to action such as ‘Apply now’, as well as on the final page of the application process.
"The disclaimer should be clearly worded and presented separately from other information to ensure it was prominent and would be read by consumers," it said.
"It should contain sufficient additional information to allow consumers to understand the non-official nature of the service on offer and the additional cost of using that service compared to using the official service directly."
