As international travel demand increases, scammers are taking advantage of people looking to renew their passports quickly. They’ve created fake websites that look official, with the goal of stealing personal information or charging fraudulent fees.
🕵️♂️ How Do These Scams Work?
When a user searches for "passport renewal" on Google, they may come across a site that looks very official—sometimes even with domain names that mimic real government websites like:
passport-renewal-us.comgov-passport-help.org
These fake websites typically ask users to:
- Enter personal information (name, address, Social Security number)
- Pay a “processing fee” ranging from $60 to $120
In the end, the user might receive a basic PDF form that’s already available for free on the official U.S. government website, but by then, they’ve paid money and shared sensitive data with a fraudulent party.
🛑 Official Warning:
The U.S. government does not charge additional fees for downloading or filling out passport renewal forms.
The official site to renew your passport is:
travel.state.gov
✅ How to Avoid Getting Scammed
Follow these tips to protect yourself:
-
Use only the official government website
Make sure the URL ends with .gov, not .com or .org. -
Never pay to download a form
The DS-82 form for passport renewal is always free on the official site. -
Verify the website’s legitimacy
Use tools like:- Bitdefender Scamio
- BBB Scam Tracker
-
Don’t rush
Scammers prey on urgency. Plan ahead and renew your passport early. -
Watch out for sponsored search results
Some fake sites appear at the top of search results as paid ads.
🧯 What to Do If You’ve Been Scammed
- Monitor your bank accounts and credit cards for suspicious activity
- Report the scam website to:
- Consider enabling credit monitoring or even freezing your credit to prevent identity theft