The March issue of Grey Power magazine featured a short item on the United Kingdom digitalising its border and immigration system. This means New Zealanders planning to visit there would need to apply for an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) or an eVisa.
Since publication of the article some readers have had doubts as to the legitimacy of the websites quoted. The magazine has contacted Netsafe about the two websites listed in our article – www.tinyurl.com/5n8ayuuu and www.tinyurl.com/ycysxadh
This is their response: The two tinyurl’s you linked me to appear to redirect users to:
www.gov.uk/guidance/check-when-you-can-get-an-electronic-travel-authorisation-eta
and
https://apply-for-an-eta.homeoffice.gov.uk/apply/electronic-travel-authorisation/easier-on-the-app
The latter are both legitimate websites but scams related to UK ETAs are a growing concern, often involving fake websites and services which promise to facilitate the ETA application process for a fee, but they either fail to deliver the actual ETA or use the collected information for malicious purposes.
The UK Government emphasises that the ETA application process should only be done through the official UK Government website (www.gov.uk) or the official ETA app.
A number of ETA FAQ’s can be found at the following site – www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-an-electronic-travel-authorisation-eta
Avoiding UK ETA scams:
- Only apply through the official channels: The UK Government website (www.gov.uk) or the official ETA app. They are the only legitimate sources for ETA applications.
- Be wary of third-party websites: Avoid websites which offer to help with the ETA application for an extra fee. These may not deliver the ETA and could be related to scam activity.
- Check the website URL: Legitimate government websites will begin with “www.gov.uk/” or contain “homeoffice.gov.uk”.
- Avoid clicking on sponsored ads or unfamiliar links.
Grey Power Note: TinyURLs are used primarily to shorten long URLs making them easier to share and read. However, in this case, as advised above, the UK Government emphasises that the ETA applications should only be done through the official UK Government website (www.gov.uk) or the official ETA app.
