Hi all,
Thanks for your responses, the interest and the willingness to help.
Here is a copy of the last letter my wife has received regarding this case. This letter was sent only after she asked for a formal form regarding the penalty she is requested to pay.
As you can see, the "formal" copy has an electronic signature, but again, no name. Also, the amount of the penalty is yet not analysed. Neither the emails nor the two letters she has received have the name of the sender.
Checking the address of the Govia Prosecutions Department and the phone numbers provided for the phone payment, the letter seems to be legit, but the lack of names and precise data certifying the amount of the penalty make it look suspicious. Considering also the available methods of payment, this becomes even worse. Last but not least, I would expect the payment of a valid penalty to include a deadline for the payment.
The staff member who interviewed my wife did show an ID that looked plausible. It is correct that they did write some paperwork first when she was initially stopped by the Govia officer for the check and during the interview. My wife sinned both of them, but she wasn't provided with a copy of the paperwork.
Even if the fact that that Govia don't have a safe method for payment is not surprising, the fact that the provided payment methods are completely insecure for the customer/payor is not acceptable. None of these two methods provides proof of the reason for the payment and that is the reason why they are widely used for scams. Nowadays, paying over the phone or with Postal Orders shouldn't be accepted by the payor for security reasons.
Thank you very much for the advice,
@some bloke. I am in contact with
@MikeWh regarding the next step in this case. Your advice makes total sense, it will be certainly considered and it is highly appreciated.
Again, thank you all for the help, advice and willingness to help.
Cheers