Sacramento – The California Department of Motor Vehicles is warning the public about websites that are charging customers to complete the electronic driver license and ID card application, for DMV appointments and for other online transactions.

The department received reports of websites charging customers a fee to complete the new online driver license application.

The DMV’s Investigations Division is investigating these websites for any violation of consumer protection laws.

The DMV wants to remind Californians that there are no additional fees to complete the electronic application or any online services.

Also, there is only one official website for conducting business with the DMV, www.dmv.ca.gov. To avoid paying unnecessary fees, only conduct online transactions on this official website.

While many unofficial websites include a disclaimer that they are not an official government website, these private sites may contain inaccurate information about DMV services and fees and may include unnecessary charges and fees that are not required by the DMV.

Many of these websites have user agreements that allows them to use customers’ personal information, which includes selling that information to other businesses.

Customers seeking to conduct online transactions are advised to type www.dmv.ca.gov directly into the address line in the web browser to ensure they are visiting the official website.

Internet search engines may not always list the official DMV website as the top result and can easily lead customers to a private website.

If a customer believes they have encountered a fraudulent website, email DMV’s Investigations Division at ReportFraud@dmv.ca.gov.

Please note: The DMV has thousands of Registration Service Business Partners authorized to conduct vehicle registration transactions and charge a fee.

Find more information on our business partners here. https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/bp_locator/bplocator_top.