AVOID This NEW Scam When Traveling to London in 2025

Getting scammed while traveling is an absolutely miserable experience. Fortunately, we’re here to help make sure that DOESN’T happen to you!

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Whether we’re traveling to Disney World or around the world, we’ve seen and experienced it all. If you’ve got the travel bug like us, chances are you’re keeping up with the latest trends and scams to avoid. In fact, if you plan on traveling to the United Kingdom in 2025, we have to warn you about a new scam that has come to light.

According to The Washington Post and other reports, travelers have been getting scammed into paying more than is actually necessary to acquire an Electronic Travel Authorization for the United Kingdom.

UK Pavilion

The UK requires travelers from several countries around the world — including the United States — to have an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) to gain entry. While this requirement is fairly new, that hasn’t stopped scammers from taking advantage of those not in the know.

Initially costing £10, the price jumped dramatically in April to £16 — which is still less than a lot of folks have been paying needlessly. According to The Washington Post, Tripadvisor, and more forums, some people have been scammed into paying up to 5 times more than they should. The problem? Scam websites are preying on confused travelers. These folks don’t really know what to do and are buying their ETAs on unofficial websites for unfair prices.

London © parliament.uk

The scam sites will often “ask for cash, money transfers or additional fees beyond the standard ETA cost.” The Washington Post also warns to be wary of web addresses that look close to the official government website, but aren’t.

The trick to avoid this scam is really simple: ONLY BUY YOUR ETA THROUGH THE GOV.UK WEBSITE OR THE OFFICIAL UK ETA APP. If the address is a variation of this (such as ETAUK.co.uk), you’re probably looking at a scam.

Some sites have been charging services for “support”, which isn’t technically illegal but is a waste of money. Other sites have no problem stealing your money and — potentially — your identity.

©Getty Images

The official gov.uk website states that “whether you can get an ETA depends on your nationality as shown on your passport.” Travelers who do not need an ETA are as follows:

You have a visa
You have permission to live, work, or study in the UK (including settled or pre-settled status or right of abode)
You are transiting through a UK airport and you will not pass through border control (check with your airline if you are not sure)
You are a British or Irish citizen
You are travelling with a British overseas territories citizen passport
You are travelling with a British National (Overseas) passport
You live in Ireland and you are travelling from Ireland, Guernsey, Jersey, or the Isle of Man
You are a child travelling on the France-UK school trip travel information form
You are exempt from immigration control or obtaining permission to enter
You are a dual citizen with British or Irish citizenship (You can prove dual citizenship with a valid British passport, valid Irish passport, or other valid passport containing a certificate of entitlement)

United Kingdom pavilion

An ETA allows you to “come to the UK for up to 6 months for tourism, visiting family and friends, business or short-term study, come to the UK for up to 3 months on the Creative Worker visa concession,” as well as the ability to visit for a permitted paid engagement and transit through a UK airport if you will pass through border control.

The website also states that “if you are coming to the UK for another reason, check if you need a visa instead. An ETA does not guarantee entry to the UK. You still need to either see a Border Force officer [or] use an ePassport gate.”

You can apply for yourself or others online through the official gov.uk website or through the UK ETA app. Processing time can take up to 3 business days.

Click HERE to go to the official gov.uk ETA application guidelines!

Remember to take your time when filling out an application, verify what the going rate is for the ETA at the time of your purchase, and then triple-check just to make sure everything seems legit.

We’ll continue to keep you updated on all kinds of travel tips, so keep it posted right here at DFB to stay in the know!