It comes after an increase in the number of complaints from people who have been misled by the sites and have needlessly paid up to £70 for services which government departments offer free of charge or at a low cost.

The sites, which often appear to be genuine government web pages, are not illegal as they do explain the fees but charge people for a processing and checking service which is unnecessary.

Similar complaints were reported to the council’s Trading Standards team in January as the tax return self-assessment deadline approached with many residents unwittingly encountering online checking services which charged a fee.

Trading Standards has urged consumers to ensure they are on the correct government site whether it is DVLA, HMRC or the Passport Office.

Councillor Kath Ryall, convener of Corporate Services, said: “No-one likes to feel misled or duped nor waste money on services of no value to them. I would urge residents to use only Government websites if they need to renew a passport or amend a driving licence.

“To find the official sites it is best to go to www.gov.uk and select the service required rather than using a search engine as these often show sponsored sites, which may charge, first. Also, read the information on the website to make sure you are using the official site that you require.” West Dunbartonshire Council’s Trading Standards team leader Tony Cairns added: “Our enquiries found that the websites actually explained that they were not government-linked and that customers who used the services would pay additional costs so we were unable to pursue the complaints. However, these cases and other complaints which have been registered with the Advertising Standards Authority and Trading Standards services throughout the country show that consumers can and do mistakenly access these services and are upset when they realise they spent money which they didn’t need to.” Trading Standards is keen to hear from anyone who feels they have been misled. Consumers should register any complaints via the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 08454 04 05 06.