{"id":572,"date":"2025-04-29T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-29T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pharosstory.com\/?p=572"},"modified":"2025-05-02T02:34:58","modified_gmt":"2025-05-02T02:34:58","slug":"i-was-fooled-by-a-copycat-website-it-was-the-top-google-result","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pharosstory.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/29\/i-was-fooled-by-a-copycat-website-it-was-the-top-google-result\/","title":{"rendered":"I was fooled by a copycat website \u2013 it was the top google result"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\"How\t<\/div>
Metro\u2019s money expert Andy Webb has seen every trick in the book when it comes to online scams \u2014 but even he was fooled by a convincing copycat website. (Credits: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A nearby property<\/a> recently put up plans to redevelop from a business to flats, something we\u2019re not keen on just\u2028a few doors down from our home.<\/p>\n

As part of our objection I wanted to check our deeds. When we moved we didn\u2019t receive them, so I popped on to Google to see if I could get them from the Land Registry.<\/p>\n

Right at the top of the search results was Land Registry UK. So I clicked on that and was presented with options \u2013 the title register and the title plan for \u00a324.95 each, or both for \u00a344.95. <\/p>\n

Not being sure which one I needed, or if I required both, I thought I\u2019d just read up about them. This next search brought up the gov.uk website, along with how to get a copy of our deeds \u2013 at just \u00a37 per deed.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d almost fallen for a common hazard of search engines. The first site I visited looked legitimate, and it was called Land Registry UK, which sounds official. I was, after all, wanting to visit the UK Land Registry website.<\/p>\n

But instead I\u2019d been close to handing over cash to a third party website that would simply have acted as a middleman and charged me for the privilege. It was top of the Google search results because it had paid to be there.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Internet\t<\/div>
This pretender website was at the top of the results because it had paid to be there (Credits: Getty Images\/iStockphoto)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A look back at the search results, and the other \u2018sponsored\u2019 listings were HM Land Registry and Land Registry Online, all with similar higher prices. Only below these paid positions do the real \u2013 and cheaper \u2013 official government webpages appear. It feels like a scam but technically, these and similar sites are not doing anything wrong, since if people want to pay for this service they can.<\/p>\n

But by choosing URLs that make it appear to be the actual Land Registry, it\u2019s obviously set up to get people who don\u2019t know what they\u2019re looking for, or don\u2019t have the time to check the small print on the webpages. <\/p>\n

It\u2019d be hard to argue that people landing on these websites don\u2019t believe it\u2019s the official Land Registry service.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not the only example. If you\u2019re going to Europe on holiday or business travel, you\u2019ll want to have a GHIC (Global Health Insurance Card)<\/a>, along with your travel insurance<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"United\t<\/div>
The Global Health Insurance Card is free, and easily available from the NHS website – but if you didn’t know, clicking the wrong result could have you losing money (Credits: Shutterstock \/ Darren Baker)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This card replaced the EHIC after Brexit, but it\u2019s vital as it ensures you can get medical treatment at the same cost as a local in those countries. This card is free, and easily available from the NHS website. But there\u2019s been a long history of dodgy middlemen promoting websites that would charge \u00a320 to get the card.<\/p>\n

Now it seems Google has taken action to ban these misleading ads, including similar ones for government services such as passport renewals. But that doesn\u2019t mean other websites and social channels won\u2019t serve them up.<\/p>\n

Don’t get misled by debt relief pretenders<\/h2>\n

Debt advice is another area rife with copycat websites. Search for the independent and free charities such as StepChange and National Debtline, and the top sponsored results are named along the lines of The Debt Advice Service or National Debt Relief. <\/p>\n

In the past I\u2019ve seen some even closer in name, and with websites designed to look like the real thing. Someone clicking these doppelg\u00e4ngers might ultimately have paid for support with their debts, and potentially received the wrong advice.<\/p>\n

Sadly, the number of these debt relief pretenders forces legitimate sites also to pay to appear in the sponsored section, knowing that many users won\u2019t scroll down past the ads \u2013 costing money that charities could use to help those in need.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m sure there are other services that should be free or relatively cheap which are victims of similar practices. So what can you do about it? <\/p>\n

Be vigilant<\/h2>\n

Vigilance is key. Pay attention to see if the search results or adverts are labelled \u2018sponsored\u2019. It could still be the legitimate company you\u2019re after, but it\u2019s a warning to double check it\u2019s not an imitator.<\/p>\n

Then, if you\u2019re being asked to pay for anything that\u2019s official, it\u2019s worth double, if not triple-checking that you\u2019re on the right website, and that a cheaper, if not free, alternative isn\u2019t available. <\/p>\n

Follow award-winning blogger, podcaster and Metro money expert Andy Webb on Instagram <\/a>and YouTube<\/a> or visit becleverwithyourcash.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Metro\u2019s money expert Andy Webb has seen every trick in the book when it comes to online scams \u2014 but even he was fooled by a convincing copycat website. (Credits: Getty Images) A nearby property recently put up plans to redevelop from a business to flats, something we\u2019re not keen on just\u2028a few doors down […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":574,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pharosstory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/572"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pharosstory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pharosstory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pharosstory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pharosstory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=572"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/pharosstory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/572\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":578,"href":"https:\/\/pharosstory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/572\/revisions\/578"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pharosstory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/574"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pharosstory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=572"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pharosstory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=572"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pharosstory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=572"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}