What else to avoid

Although not scams, you can be caught out in other ways and lose your money without realising it.

Charging for something that is free

Many organisations ask you to use the internet to book or register for something, for example, applying to sit your driving test. There is no cost to book or register with their websites but there are other websites that offer to do the application for you. You are not saving yourself any time by using these companies, and they will charge you a fee to do something which would be free if you did it yourself.

Some examples of services which are provided free of charge include:

The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) gives you access to healthcare in the public system of any EU member state (and EEA or Switzerland) if you are sick or injured while on holiday. You can apply for this online at www.ehic.ie
The Road Safety Authority (RSA) processes applications for driver theory and practical tests and uses the internet to let people book their tests online at www.rsa.ie

To be sure you are not charged a fee for a free service, you should only use the official website of the organisation that you are applying to. And be careful using search engines as many of the companies that charge fees advertise on search engines and might look like the official organisation.

Using the correct supplier

Always be sure you are dealing with the right supplier. For example, if the windscreen of your car needs to be replaced or repaired, you may have windscreen cover with your car insurance, provided you use certain windscreen repair suppliers. However, someone may offer you a free windscreen repair - for example, in a shopping centre carpark. If you use a repair service that is not listed by your insurer, you may have to cover the costs yourself. Always check with your insurance company if you are unsure about what is covered on your policy.

Costly subscription services

You can often be charged a lot more than you expect when you subscribe to services such as ring tones, games or music for your phone. Always check the cost before subscribing to a service. Don't reply to text messages offering free ring tones, screensavers or games unless you are sure they are free. Check out ComReg’s consumer website, www.phonesmart.ie, for tips and advice of these services.