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Travelers heading to countries that require visa or travel certificate applications must be particularly cautious nowadays. Many fake websites may lure consumers into scams.

As graduation season and summer vacation approach, many people are planning to travel abroad. However, when applying for visas or travel certificates, entering a fraudulent website by mistake can lead to financial loss. A traveler named Ms. Tseng from Taichung, along with her husband, planned an eight-day-seven-night trip to London, England, but discovered they had not applied for the required travel certificate just before departure. After a frantic search, they clicked on a website called IVISA in hopes of hastening their application process.

Ms. Tseng recounted that after submitting their names and passport numbers, they paid 14,039 NTD but did not receive a verification code. While attempting to upload the required photo, they failed repeatedly. With boarding time approaching, they received assistance from airline staff, which allowed them to successfully apply for the official visa, but they remained unsure about whether they would be charged.

On the day of departure, they contacted their bank to dispute the unauthorized transaction. After returning to Taiwan, they found out that the IVISA website was confirmed as a scam site by the Taipei Economic and Trade Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Indonesia. On June 9, Ms. Tseng received a notification about the deduction of funds.

After understanding the situation, she was increasingly suspicious of the legitimacy of the website, stating, "Scam websites can easily trick you out of your money; how could they possibly refund you?" Faced with this type of online fraud, travelers must be extra cautious before traveling, especially during peak season when such incidents are more likely to occur.

According to travel knowledge, for those traveling to the UK, in addition to passports and personal belongings, it is necessary to apply for the required visa based on the length of stay. For stays longer than six months, a valid visa is required; for short-term trips, only the travel certificate ETA is needed. The official application process differs significantly from the IVISA process. Official procedures require submitting a photo of the passport, and the review process typically takes 2 to 3 days.

Regarding the suspicion of the IVISA website as a fraudulent site, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that they would further investigate the matter and reminded the public to use official channels when applying for visas or travel certificates to avoid falling into fraud traps. Ultimately, Ms. Tseng's bank has also reversed the unauthorized transaction and reiterated that travelers need to be cautious during the travel peak season to prevent impacting their mood and plans.