When to be suspicious...

If a web address starts with just ‘http’ and not ‘https’ – especially on the page where you are asked for payment details – alarm bells should ring. The ‘s’ is an indicator your data will be encrypted. But some copycats do use encryption.

Look for a green padlock icon in the address bar. If this security icon is missing then resist entering personal and banking details.

Watch out for spelling mistakes or broken English. This is a sure sign of an amateur or fly-by-night at work.

Tread carefully when clicking through from paid-for advert links. Copycat services often pay to appear at the top of search listings. Search engines say they weed them out but recent research by consumer group Which? discovered that they still appear in many popular searches for key travel documents.

Check a website home page for a ‘disclaimer’ admitting it is not associated with any official service. They include this to protect themselves from complaints. But it often appears well below more prominent information such as the online button for clicking to application pages. National Trading Standards says disclaimers do not mean copycat websites are immune from prosecution.

Watch out for links from copycat services to official websites. Some copycats include these to lend an air of authenticity to their business.

Try to take screenshots from the website at various stages of the process. It may help with getting a refund.

Report falling victim to a copycat website to national scam reporting centre Action Fraud. It will issue a police reference number though this does not mean your complaint will be investigated.