By The Associated Press

BATON ROUGE — Officials are warning Louisiana residents about impostor third-party websites that overcharge for vehicle registration services and gather personal data and credit card information.

The Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles said in a news release Monday that the websites aren’t affiliated with any state government agency and are owned by for-profit companies. Some private, unofficial websites collect and store personal information, the release says.

“We have had reports from our citizens who were deceived into providing sensitive information to other websites,” said agency Commissioner Karen St. Germain. “We encourage our customers to utilize our online services when they can, but they should be aware of the dangers associated with some third-party websites.”

While third-party websites often have advertisements, the Office of Motor Vehicles website does not, and it allows residents to renew their registration online using their renewal notice or previously issued registration.

Registration can also be renewed by mail or in person.