Bob Walter MP (North Dorset) has welcomed action from the Government to tackle the issue of phishing and misleading websites.
Following concerns raised by constituents, Bob has welcomed action by the Government Digital Service (GDS) in the Cabinet Office, which has joined forces with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), the National Trading Standard Board (NTSB) and the consumer association Which? to ensure enforcement action is taken where appropriate. So far, five people have been arrested under the Fraud Act 2006.
Misleading websites are third party websites that pass themselves off as legitimate government services, charging for access to public services that are either free or much cheaper when accessed via official websites. Most people come across these websites through the sponsored adverts appearing on search engines, such as Google or Bing, and often look genuine.
In order to avoid misleading websites, Bob is encouraging users to follow the government’s advice and start their search journey through the official gov.uk website.
He said: “I am pleased that the Cabinet Office is taking the mis-selling of government services very seriously and has already done a tremendous amount of work to tackle this issue. It is important to remain alert and I would encourage my constituents to go to www.which.co.uk for advice on how to spot these fake government websites and protect themselves from unscrupulous individuals online.”
