The day that drivers across London have been dreading is almost finally here, as the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) will double in size tomorrow.
The extension, which will be introduced by London Mayor Sadiq Khan, will mean that ULEZ will cover almost all of Greater London.
Now, Which experts? have warned that scammers are targeting drivers trying to pay the ULEZ fee, and a number of deceptive websites have popped up online.
Although drivers should only pay £12.50, these websites trick you into paying much more, some even setting up ongoing payments that could cost you thousands of dollars.
Here’s how to spot fraudulent websites and what to do if you paid on one.
The day that drivers across London have been dreading is almost finally here, as the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) will double in size tomorrow.
Now, Which experts? have warned that scammers are targeting drivers trying to pay the ULEZ fee, and various deceptive websites popping up online (file image)
The scam was first pointed out to Which? by a member of the public, who He inadvertently paid to a company called ‘Ulezpayservice’, rather than the official Transport for London (TfL) website.
The driver was driving through Stanmore last month when they saw a sign saying they were entering a ULEZ zone.
After searching on Google, they clicked on an ad that they assumed led them to the official website to pay the ULEZ fee.
They filled in his personal details and then found a charge of £17.50 to ‘Ulezpayservice’ on his bank account.
Worryingly, they were later informed by their bank that this was an ongoing payment, which meant they would be charged monthly.
These ads are displayed above the TfL website in Google search results, making it particularly easy for users to fall in love with them.
“We are concerned about the number of dodgy websites serving ads on Google, which appear at the top of results when people try to pay for parking or the ULEZ fee”, which ones? saying.
Which? flagged the ads to Google, which confirmed it had taken action.
If you need to pay a ULEZ charge, make sure you only do so through the official TfL website. In the photo: one of the fraudulent websites.
These ads are displayed above the TfL website in Google search results, making it particularly easy for users to fall in love with them.
“Protecting users is our top priority, and we have strict advertising policies that govern the types of ads and advertisers we allow on our platforms,” a Google spokesperson said.
‘We vigorously enforce our policies, and if we find ads that violate them, we remove them.
“We continue to invest significant resources in stopping bad actors and are constantly evaluating and updating our policies and improving our technology to keep our users safe.”
If you need to pay a ULEZ charge, make sure you do it only through the TfL official website.
A TfL spokesperson said: ‘Payments for our road user charging systems should only be made via the official TfL website.
‘Unfortunately, internet search engines do not always show the official TfL website at the top of their search results.
“This means that people may be offered a link to an unofficial payment site, which can often overcharge.
“We are sorry that any customer has been surprised in this way.”
In the meantime, if you accidentally paid on one of these scam sites, which one? recommends contacting your bank immediately to block any recurring payments.
If the payment has already left your account, you can ask your auto supplier for a full refund.
Lisa Webb, which one? Consumer Law Expert, said: ‘It is disappointing that copycat and scam websites are squeezing extra money out of people who pay ULEZ fees, leaving them penniless for no benefit.
‘Search engines need to take more responsibility for the ads that appear on their platforms.
‘Google must abide by its own terms and conditions by ensuring that only official websites can advertise official services on its platform.
‘Unfortunately, as things stand, it is up to consumers to ensure they steer clear of copycat websites that will impose unnecessary additional charges and instead visit the official TfL website to pay ULEZ charges.
