Beware of these fake „administrative” sites that make you pay for nothing

More and more people are taking advantage of fake government websites that promise a quick passport, gray card or Crit’Air jet… for a fee. These practices are not always illegal, but some disguise genuine scams designed to steal personal information. , Unofficial government websites abound on the Internet, warns Le Parisien. The daily Ile-de-France collects the testimony of a man who paid 125 euros for a passport. Unsuspectingly, he simply typed „passport creation” into the search engine and clicked on the first link. Supposed official websites But before the mandatory visit to the city hall, the preliminary request for the preparation of a passport can only be completed on the pages of the Agency for Protected Documents (ANTS). The amount to be paid is then 86 euros, no more: the price of the tax stamp. Unfortunately, the youth are not the only ones who are deceived by these websites with fake official expressions. „We will not lie to each other, the ANTS website is not what people know best,” laments a lawyer from the consumer union CLCV. They click on platforms that have paid to be at the top of online search results. » common rules While some sites with no added value charge unnecessary fees and require long waiting times, others are pure scams. Their creators only have the ambition to get back a few tens of euros and the contact details or personal data of the defrauded user. As Le Parisien points out, to avoid such a trap, it is important to start administrative proceedings only through service-public.fr and ants.gouv.fr. In addition, you should save time, keep a critical mind and, if necessary, ask for advice directly from the management.

Michael Cooper

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