Beware of search algorithm that puts what one wants on top

[question everything]

Time to renew car registration and decided to do it online. The notice gave the address of drive.mn.gov

I searched for it and it did list what I thought as Minnesota site.

I should have looked at the url, not the name. The site belongs to amvsonline.

I did not realize it, though was taken a back when the default for state was... California. Searched again yet the page looked different.

Still, I entered the plate number last digits of the VIN. I went ahead and entered my debit card info. Thankfully, "there was an error, please enter again." Then I saw the small prints, I was going to be charged 50c to continue. Worse, I would be charged $10.95 a month! for their services and I quickly got out of it. No charge yet on my bank account but will check again every day.

Still, the real site was the fifth or so listed.

Funny, I cannot ever replicate it now. I don't know what I did wrong.

[Tetrachloride]

1. This goes to show that the search engines are willfully abusive

The solution is state laws or your state attorney general.

In the short run, its buyer beware.

[dflprincess]

2. Just in case anyone needs to renew, here's the link:

https://onlineservices.dps.mn.gov/EServices/_/

[IbogaProject]

3. Likely a typo

There are vast "link farms" with sites that are typos of common sites, especially " .co "
Glad your BS detector was active and successful.

[canuckledragger]

4. you didn't do anything wrong.

Google used to be the top search engine out there with useful results at the top...until the money got to them and most of the top entries are paid-for misleading ads for other crap.

I switched to 'duck duck go' for more private, accurate results.

PS: what really started to piss me off with google was searching for something, specifically telling it to NOT search certain site or terms (just put a minus sign - in front of whatever you don't want showing up in results) and it would completely ignore that request and search FOR those things I told it not to.