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Adverts for websites that charge for free government services are removed from search results Google has cracked down on "copycat" websites that charge unsuspecting users for government services that are normally free. The websites typically enable users to order official documents such as driving licences or European Health Insurance Cards but add a "service fee" on top of the Government's own charge. They attract users by being advertised above the normal rankings on search engines such as Google and are often designed to appear similar to the equivalent official websites. Users can pay sums such as £100 more than the services would cost via the official channels. Over the past few days adverts for many copycat websites have disappeared from Google as a result of cooperation between the search giant and the Government. However, some copycat websites were still appearing when The Telegraph checked today. For example, when “passport” is searched for on Google, several links to the official government website (http://www.gov.uk) now feature at the top of the list. But for some other services, links to copycat and unofficial websites still appear before government sites. More: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/consumertips/10765909/Google-bans-copycat-websites.html
