Dutch still falling for websites offering UK entry visas at 10 times the cost
Netherlands residents are still falling for commercial websites that offer “stress-free” electronic travel authorizations (ETAs), the documents required to enter the United Kingdom since April. These sites charge around 200 euros per document for their services, while obtaining the document directly from the UK government costs less than 19 euros, AD reports.
An ETA is valid for two years and can be used multiple times. Applying through the official British government website and app only costs 16 pounds, around 18.15 euros.
This summer, the Fraud Helpdesk already warned that travelers searching online for directions to apply for an ETA were being led to intermediary websites charging exorbitant prices. The organization told AD that it received 396 reports about these sites so far, including 60 in October. “Of those, 320 reported having actually paid. A total average of around 200 euros was transferred for an ETA,” a spokesperson said.
In most cases, people did not realize they were reviewing a commercial website. “In some cases, the fine print explained the details, in others it didn’t,” the Fraud Helpdesk spokesperson said. “Sometimes people actually received confirmation, sometimes not at all.”
Claudia Weijerman, a flight attendant familiar with visa applications, fell into the trap when arranging ETAs for two family members. She told the newspaper that she did not realize that she had landed on a non-government website via Google. She received the documents immediately, and then noticed that two separate charges of 178 euros had appeared on her credit card statement.
“I thought: wow, that’s a lot,” she told AD. Her bank was unable to help her because she authorized the payment herself. “After a few emails, I finally got 50 pounds back, but it is still outrageous.”
The same happened to Kim Dijksman, who unknowingly applied for three ETAs using a non-government site. “Nothing came up, I didn’t see any amount.” Only when her card was blocked did she discover a 242 euro expense for one of the three attempts to obtain the document. “I feel really ripped off. Imagine doing this three times and you’d be out over 700 euros,” she told AD.
She was also unaware of these commercial intermediaries, Dijksman said. When she complained, the company only told her that the travel document she received was legally valid. "And that this was their way of working. I should have been much more careful. It just looked very official."
