INDIANAPOLIS — If you’re planning to renew your driver’s license online, the Indiana BMV says make sure you’re using the right website.
If you’re under the age of 75, you have to renew your Indiana driver’s license every six years, and one option is to do so online.
Beth Groves, a north side resident, needed to renew her driver’s license so she headed to Google and found an Indiana driver’s license website.
“They asked for my name, my address, my credit card, and I knew I was going to have to use a credit card because I was going to have to renew online, so I didn’t think too much of it,” said Groves.
That is, until she saw a $2.99 charge on her credit card.
“I knew that wasn’t enough for a license, so I thought, ‘Oh no, this is not good,’” said Groves.
Days later, a $19.99 charge appeared from driverslicenseonline.org.
“The red flags went up,” said Groves.
Groves realized the site she went to was not the Indiana BMV.
“I thought if this was happening to me, it was happening to hundreds of other people,” said Groves.
Groves filed a complaint with the Indiana Attorney General who is investigating and has received half a dozen similar complaints about websites similar to the Indiana BMV.
“They said to call Channel 6, so I did,” said Groves.
Call 6 did some checking and found both sides Groves went to, indianadriverslicense.org and driverslicenseonline.org are not affiliated with the government.
They’re selling road guides that contain information on how to obtain a new license, registration or title.
“The Road Guide is a state specific guide that contains helpful information designed to better prepare you for DMV related activities such as Driver License Renewal, Replacement, Change of Address, and Change of Name,” read the driverslicenseonline.org website.
Call 6 Investigates found several mentions on both websites that they are a private company, not a government agency or office.
We reached out to driverslicenseonline.org and they responded that customers have to follow four steps before they’re charged.
“The final step is placing in their credit card information agreeing to Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy then finally clicking submit for consumers to then be charged,” said the customer support team in an email to Call 6. “There are no repeated charges only a processing fee of $2.99 and $19.99 for the total of $22.98.”
The Indiana BMV is warning consumers to be vigilant when they click on websites, and to make sure to use their official site http://www.in.gov/bmv/.
“Consumers should always be vigilant about which websites they click or to which sites they provide a credit card,” said BMV spokesperson Christine Meyer. “We always encourage customers to use our official website at www.in.gov/bmv [in.gov]. It is part of the collective IN.gov website that connects Hoosiers to all state agencies. This is the only way consumers can be certain they are really doing business with us.”
As for Beth Groves, she contacted Chase Bank who reversed the charges.
Groves opted to go to her local BMV branch rather than go back online.
“Be aware,” said Groves. “I don’t know how I got sidelined to the other website, but it was easily done. Also, read the fine print.”
FULL STATEMENT FROM COMPANY:
The purpose of our website is to help consumers simplify the process of going to the DMV by providing personalized guides, document preparation, and live support.
Our website is https://driverlicenseonline.org/index.html the information that customers need to know about our website before they provide their credit card information is all over our website and they would have to go through 4 steps before giving that information to purchase the Road Guide. Those steps are the following:
1 - Choosing a service in which they require help on.
2 - Selecting a state.
3 - Personal information so the guide can be sent to the email address of their choice and to personalize the guide as well.
4 - Payment options.
The final step is placing in their credit card information agreeing to Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy then finally clicking submit for consumers to then be charged. Showing the order details on the left hand side.
There are no repeated charges only a processing fee of $2.99 and $19.99 for the total of $22.98. Unless of course they go back to our site and request a guide for another state. But that means they will have to go through all the 4 steps mentioned above.
