A paid Google ad mimics the official State Department passport page and charges far more than the real fee
Paid Google ads place look-alike sites at the top of passport and visa searches, charging $148–$200+ for a $130 service. They collect your full name, date of birth, address, and travel documents. FTC sued one operation for defrauding 300,000+ consumers.
Also known as: fake passport application website, fake government passport service, passport application overcharge scam, GovAssist scam, fake State Department passport page, government service impersonation website
Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes
- 1 Call your bank or card's fraud line right now. Use the number on the back of your card — not any number from the message or caller. Ask them to stop or reverse the payment and freeze the account.
- 2 If you paid by gift card, wire, or an app (Zelle, Venmo, Cash App): contact that company immediately and report it as fraud. Acting fast sometimes recovers the money.
- 3 Report to the FBI at ic3.gov and the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. The sooner, the better.
What to do right now
- 1 Apply for or renew your US passport only at travel.state.gov or in person at a USPS or passport acceptance facility
- 2 If you submitted personal documents to a non-.gov site, check your credit report at annualcreditreport.com and consider a fraud alert with the three major bureaus
- 3 Dispute the inflated charge with your credit card company — you are entitled to a refund when fees were misrepresented
- 4 Report the site to the FTC at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov and the FBI's IC3 at https://www.ic3.gov.
Red flags
- ⚠ The URL is not travel.state.gov — official US passport applications go through travel.state.gov only
- ⚠ The page appeared at the top of Google as a 'Sponsored' result — not an organic government link
- ⚠ The service fee is far higher than the official State Department fee ($130 for a new adult passport as of 2026)
- ⚠ The site uses American flag imagery and government-style design but is a private company with a .com domain
- ⚠ You were asked to upload your birth certificate, photo ID, or other sensitive documents to a non-.gov site
- ⚠ Your confirmation email or receipt comes from a private company's domain, not a .gov address
- ⚠ Fake Trustpilot or Google reviews are unusually numerous and uniformly positive
Scam sites buy Google ads that position themselves at the top of searches for “US passport application,” “renew passport online,” or “passport appointment.” They use official-looking design — government seals, American flag imagery, formal language — but they are private companies charging far more than the State Department’s actual fee. They also collect sensitive documents (birth certificate, photo ID, address) that can be used for identity theft.
The only legitimate site for US passport applications and renewals is travel.state.gov. You can also apply in person at a US post office or passport acceptance facility. No third party needs your birth certificate or photo ID to process a government form — that is done directly with the State Department.
If you already submitted documents to a non-.gov site, check your credit report and consider placing a fraud alert.