Our neighbour recently renewed his car tax online only to find out it wasn’t the official govt website, money was taken from his account but he had no tax, he only noticed it when a small amount had been taken out each month( £5.00)
Then my wife’s cousin had thought he’d renewed his tv license online only to find out that he’d been paying a monthly fee after he’d paid the license fee,
Mil had her car tax renewal reminder….she paid hers at the post office
I think I will do the same when mines due…
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Thanks Primus, no more payments from me over the phone, or online,I too will be making my payment at the post office.
Wow! it looks like an advanced version of ‘Countdown’ MrFraggle…And now a consonant please…
Sorry about that I was on my tablet and was just going to get on my PC and sort it. 
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I always renew my car tax online - when the reminder arrives it has the web address and the code I need to use to get into it. It then gives my car’s make and registration number - I would think these fake sites wouldn’t have that information - or am I mistaken?
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I always do mine at the main post office but as Mrs LD’s is free or rather VED exempt (£0), she does hers online.
I think you are correct Margaret, and I will continue to tax my car online. I suspect that people are not reading everything on the site they visit. I have done it myself in the past when booking a holiday, I thought I was conversing with the hotel, but it turned out to be one of those ‘Booking dot com’ sites. I hadn’t read the address before I clicked on it. Fortunately the booking was made, but I hate dealing with a third party even though it might be a few bob cheaper.
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I renew my car tax online but I always make sure I have the correct official website.
For all visits to websites that are going to involve me making payments or giving personal details, I never rely on search results because there are so many scams that involve links to dodgy sites that “look like” the official site but when you look carefully, there is a subtle difference to the official website address, maybe just one character different.
I type in the exact web address from a source I can be sure is correct.
If it’s a site I use regularly, I save it as a favourite so I don’t have to keep typing it in every time.
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I always renew my car tax on-line. All you have to do is make sure you are going to the proper government website for it:
I just Googled car tax renewal and that link came up at the top. It is the genuine DVLA website I can assure you.
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I remember this being written abkut on the old OFF, a long time ago.
I never knew it was still happening though.
Thanks for the reminder, Primus. 
They would have a job with Sue,s car she doesn’t have to pay road tax. Her Honda civic estate is below emmision tax level. My car tax renewal comes by post
So does mine but I still renew on-line.
Strangely a MOT reminder never does , come through the post that is.
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I used to get an email reminder from Kwikfit because I had them MoT my old car once.
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Another scam warning from Action Fraud yesterday.
I personally don’t use Facebook, but I know there are plenty who do:
Quote:
FACEBOOK MARKET PLACE WARNING
We are issuing a warning after an increase in reports of fraud on Facebook Marketplace.
Sellers have lost high value items such as phones, designer clothing, and games consoles after selling their items and being led to believe that payment has been made or is pending. The seller then posts or handovers their item, only to subsequently discover that payment has not been made by the buyer.
The buyer in question may show fake bank transfer screenshots or fake email confirmations to convince the seller that payment has been made. However, when the seller checks their bank account, the payment is not there.
Advice to sellers is when accepting payments online, always check your account or third-party payment facility to ensure that payment has been cleared before handing over or posting the goods.
Do not use links or websites supplied by the buyer to check for payment, as these can also be forged and look genuine. Always log in to payment providers via a trusted route.
Whilst buy and sell pages can be a good way to reduce clutter and make some money, please always ensure your safety, and consider following these tips:
- Meet the buyer in a busy public place that you are familiar with, potentially a café, shop, or car park that you know is covered by CCTV.
- Take a friend or relative with you.
- If you are feeling nervous or unsure, you could take images or videos so that the buyer and items can be identified if there is any dispute or theft.
All reports of this nature should be reported to Action Fraud 0300 120 2040 or online https://www.actionfraud.police.uk.
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Yes I’ve been aware a lot of this is going on. You have to be so careful. There’s another marketplace fraud that has been happening a lot lately. People create a fake profile, and put something up for sale, usually at a knockdown price so they know it will attract buyers quickly. They ask for payment online and give their address for collection. But of course, it’s not their address at all - it’s a real address, but whoever lives there knows absolutely nothing about this fake person giving out their address.
The lesson learned from these marketplace frauds is to never, ever pay in advance online. Meet the seller, check the item and pay by cash. Unlike eBay or Etsy, you have absolutely no protection whatsoever if a marketplace sale goes wrong.
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Yet more scammers.
See this I just got from Action Fraud:
" Action Fraud has received 752 reports in four days relating to fake emails purporting to be from Ofgem.
The emails state that the recipient is eligible for a rebate as a result of a newly announced government scheme. The links in the emails lead to genuine-looking websites that are designed to steal your personal and financial information.
Thanks, Mups.