£100 warning issued to people with red or blue UK passports

£100 warning issued to people with red or blue uk passports

UK tourists and holidaymakers looking to head abroad to the European Union nations and beyond could be left hundreds out of pocket if they fall for a passport copycat site.

A common scam is catching out Brits applying for passports – and could cost you an extra £100. UK tourists and holidaymakers looking to head abroad to the European Union nations and beyond could be left hundreds out of pocket if they fall for a passport copycat site.

Copycat sites mimic the official gov.uk site and trick people into hundreds of pounds – and it’s needless. The sites offer a ‘checking’ service where they approve the documents are correct before sending them on to the Passport Office – but holidaymakers are being urged to remember the process is actually straightforward.

Those through the copycat site will pay £100 to £200 per passport when the ‘check’ is added onto the sum. Sarah Munro at MoneySavingExpert warned this week: “The sad thing is that these sites are legal. They’re offering a service, some similar to the Post Office’s Check & Send, it’s just that they’re charging up to 10 times more for it.”

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Some Post Offices can check your passport application – called ‘Check and Send’. It’s less likely that your application will be rejected if you use Check and Send, the government says, and the Post Office does it for just £16.

That’s way less than the £100 or £200 you face forking out on other sites. Digital Check and Send includes the cost of the photo. It costs £16.00 on top of the passport application fee, the government has explained on its website.

Paper Check and Send does not include the cost of the photo. It costs £16.00 on top of the passport application fee and the cost of your photos. The government also goes on to add the Check and Send service is free if you qualify for a free passport.

You can only get a refund if HM Passport Office sends you a letter to say that the Post Office made a mistake with your application. The letter will tell you how you can ask the Post Office for a refund.

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