Government services have been getting a growing number of complaints from people who feel misled by websites which charge for access to public services that are either free or much cheaper when accessed via the official GOV.UK website.
Examples include people trying to renew their passport or driving licence, book a driving test or apply for a European Health Insurance Card via the NHS.
Example of a legitimate advert above Google’s search results. If you feel misled by an advert, Google has a simple form to let you report your concerns.
Many people complain that they felt these third-party websites did not provide of any value over and above the service already available on the official service, accessed via GOV.UK. Some of those complaining felt misled into thinking such 3rd party websites were actually the official, government-run service.
The vast majority of people end up on such websites after clicking on an advert appearing above the normal search results on Google, Bing or Yahoo.
If you feel misled by such an advert, Google now has a simple form to let you report your concerns.
We have been working with Google, by far the largest search engine in the UK, to tackle this aspect of the problem. Over the past few days, Google has stopped selling adverts to some of the websites which have been the cause of many complaints.
But Google remains very keen to hear from people who feel misled after clicking on such adverts appearing above their search results. This will help them remove such adverts as quickly as possible.
If you feel misled by such an advert, Google now has a simple form to let you report your concerns.
Google now offers a simple form to let you complain about misleading adverts
We would encourage people to complain to Google if they feel aggrieved, since this may prove the swiftest and most effective way to fix this problem.
You can also report concerns about potentially misleading adverts appearing above Bing and Yahoo! search results.
On a related note, if you’re concerned about phishing emails, or other Internet scams, visit this page on GOV.UK.