Thursday, 4:30 PM
New York man charged in state suit with Registry of Motor Vehicles Internet scam
By Jonathan Saltzman
GLOBE STAFF
The state has filed a lawsuit accusing an upstate New York man of charging about 28,000 consumers $10 each to obtain Massachusetts motor vehicle forms online that were free on the Registry of Motor Vehicles website, in what state officials call an Internet scam.
But Chris Wiesner, 55, of Alpine, N.Y., said in a telephone interview that his website, Download-Forms-DMV.com, helped people surfing the Internet find the registry's website and that he did nothing wrong.
"Everything that they're talking about is false," said Wiesner.
Wiesner said he did not know Attorney General Martha Coakley had filed a suit Thursday in Suffolk Superior Court until a reporter called him.
Prosecutors say consumers searching the Internet for the registry website stumbled onto Wiesner's web page, which offered forms to renew their driver's licenses, car registrations, and other services for a $10 fee. Many consumers evidently mistook Weisner's web page for the actual registry page.
Since November 2005, prosecutors alleged, consumers paid Wiesner $280,000 in fees online with credit or debit cards and then were referred to the actual registry website. They did not realize they could have gotten forms free by going directly to the state website.
"Anyone who has ever used our website to renew their license or registration or conduct other transactions knows our Internet service and forms are free," said Registrar Anne L. Collins. "It's unfortunate that some consumers were victimized by this false website."
Prosecutors said Wiesner has operated similar websites in 18 other states. The lawsuit seeks restitution for consumers, a permanent order barring Wiesner from operating the website, and civil penalties.
"These websites confuse consumers, put their personal information at risk, and oftentimes charge fees for information that they can obtain for free," said Coakley.
Wiesner said he operated the website in Massachusetts only in January and February of this year, far more briefly than prosecutors alleged, and took it down in March after complaints arose. He said he has never had complaints in any other states.
