Unofficial NCT booking website

I booked an NCT yesterday, and I noticed the link said "The only official booking website for all NCT bookings", so that made me wonder if there are also unofficial sites now.

By coincidence, this article appeared today: "NCT Online 'broker' reported to gardai over offering slots for quick car tests - for extra €76 - Website charges €76 on top of standard €55 NCT fee" https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/nct-online-broker-reported-to-gardai-over-offering-slots-for-quick-car-tests-for-extra-76/a852776778.html?hConversionEventId=AQEAAZQF2gAmdjYwMDAwMDE4OS1kZGY5LWEzN2EtYTk4Zi1kN2I0MjRiM2NiZjPaACRhYjAxOGJjMy0zNmE1LTQ0MjgtMDAwMC0wMjFlZjNhMGJjYzbaACQ1NmZhYzc1YS1jZDg3LTQwNDAtYTgwYS1kMjkxODY3Y2I0MDa8tyEfEo6-BwXLFaPPrdrcvvtMe0oHe19l_RRdr-ARZQ&utm_campaign=IN:Daily&utm_content=zone_name&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_source=independent&utm_term=0-0

One thing that stood out for me from the article was where the person stated: “It is strange that we were able to make the appointment through this website, when the NCT says that they don’t know anything about it.” It is not strange at all, she submitted her details to the site, so of course they were able to use these to arrange an appointment on her behalf.

I don't think this is going to be a matter for the Gardaí. Unfortunately this is a feature of the internet. Opportunists are going to take advantage of chances to make money. People have to be vigiliant and educated at being able to differentiate between official and imitation websites. These kind of unofficial booking services exist for many other things too. There are sites that charge a much higher fee for arranging an ESTA (for travel to the USA), and these sites have existed for many years even when the ESTA used to be actually free of charge.

The website in the article imitates colours from the official NCT site, but there are some hints that it is a broker service. I tried a test booking without continuing to the payment steps, and it mentions "Booking total: €76", so this is quite misleading. I would also have expected that to include the official €55 fee. I don't know if that is explained if you continue to payment.

It looks like this website is adapted from something else, as it states "You must provide your full name below including all middle names. This must match your identification or you will not be able to sit your exam", and the sample email address used is "info@ukconstructiontrainingservices..."

Only the official NCT site appears on the first page of my google search, but that would depend on the browser and search engine, and the rankings might have changed since the people in the article made their booking.

As it happens, I got a choice of many available slots starting in 3 to 4 weeks time and onwards.