Crackdown on premium line passport firm

Benjamin Fall has used the distinctive red cover to give the impression that his premium-rate information service had official backing.

But now the Whitehall department which guards the copyright of Government documents has withdrawn permission for its use - and will not renew Mr Fall's licence.

The move follows an investigation by this newspaper into the website, whose authoritative-sounding name - UK Passport Information (UKPI) - has led many travellers to believe that it provides Government information on how to obtain travel documents.

In fact, UKPI has no connection with any Whitehall department and callers to the premium-rate number displayed on the website find themselves paying up to £15 in phone charges.

The Home Office, which runs its own 24-hour advice line, is trying to get the service shut down after receiving hundreds of complaints from people saying they feel they have been duped.

Although Mr Fall, 29, who runs his company, Number 12 Limited, from his flat in Portsmouth, is not breaking any laws, the information he provides is available free of charge on the Home Office website (www.passport.gov.uk).

After spending nearly two minutes listening to him slowly reading out a series of options about passport applications and renewals on his 0871 line (cost 10p a minute), callers are then encouraged to ring an even more expensive 090 line which costs at least £1.50 a minute.

This service consists merely of a recorded message lasting several minutes where Mr Fall leaves the addresses and phone numbers of passport offices right to the end. Bernard Herdan, executive director of the Government's Identity and Passport Service (IPS), said Mr Fall's activities were "a nuisance" and "costly for the consumer".

Mr Fall insisted that he was operating within the law. He said: "All our services are in complete compliance with ICSTIS [the premium-rate phone line regulatory body]. We also make clear that we are not affiliated to the Home Office or the IPS."

The Home Office said: "We are doing all we can to limit Mr Fall's activities but there is nothing illegal in advising people on how to fill out a passport form."