Dartford Crossing Alert: Beware of Scam Sites That Could Cost You Fines!

After a lengthy drive, you remember to settle the Dart Charge, the fee for using the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge on the bustling Dartford Crossing over the Thames, connecting Essex and Kent. You find the payment website on your phone and make the payment promptly.

However, a few weeks later, you are shocked to receive a penalty charge notice (PCN) and realize you’ve been tricked. The website where you thought you paid the £3.50 toll was a sham, and the payment went to fraudsters, leaving you with a £70 fine.

National Trading Standards, the agency responsible for consumer protection and enforcement in England and Wales, has alerted drivers to verify they are using authentic websites for paying tolls and charges, as thousands have fallen prey to scams on counterfeit government service sites.

Scammers have also set up fake websites purporting to collect payments for London’s ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) and the Mersey Gateway Bridge, among other services.

These deceptive sites often bear names strikingly similar to official ones, such as paydartcharge.co.uk or paylondoncharge.co.uk. Some of these sites not only charge the actual toll but also add exorbitant additional fees that are several times the original amount.

In October, two individuals who managed over 40 imitation websites that swindled more than £2.25 million from unsuspecting users were convicted at Bristol crown court. Thomas Galland and Shezad Parvez overcharged thousands of customers for various services.

On one of their sites, they added an additional £5 to the legitimate Dartford Crossing fee. On other sites, they charged for services that should be free, such as £19.99 to file a statutory off-road notification (Sorn).

Mike Andrews, the leader of the National Trading Standards e-crime team, mentioned that victims often only discover the deceit when they receive a fine.

“Our findings show that a vast number of people are overpaying for basic services,” he stated. “We encourage drivers to take a moment to ensure they are on the official site when making payments for tolls or emission charges. The simplest way is to start at the road toll page on Gov.uk and proceed from there.”

Understanding the Scam

The fraudulent sites set up by the convicted duo used sponsored ads to appear at the top of search results and included misleading terms in their domain names to appear legitimate.

Examples of fake Dartford Crossing sites include dartcrossingcharges.co.uk and dartfordcrossingonline.co.uk, while imitations for the Mersey Gateway were paymerseygatewaytoll.co.uk and paymerseytoll.co.uk.

Steps to Take

If you find out you’ve paid through a fraudulent site, first attempt to obtain a refund via chargeback from your debit or credit card provider.

Next, report the deceitful website to Citizens Advice consumer service at 0808 223 1133. Be sure to take screenshots of the website and any payment confirmations, which can be helpful if the website is removed later.

For future payments, always start at Gov.uk when looking to pay for government services instead of using a search engine.