FTC sues passport sites posing as government over $40M in consumer losses

The FTC sued GovAssist LLC, Entry LLC and owner Scott Zuckerman, alleging their passport websites used Google ads and government-like designs to collect over $40 million from more than 300,000 consumers since October 2023. Many customers received only free State Department forms, the agency said in a complaint filed October 22 in Puerto Rico.

• Sites collected over $40M from more than 300,000 consumers since October 2023
• Average charge was $145, with some paying up to $499 plus $29 shipping
• Trustpilot removed hundreds of fake reviews and flagged the firms in May 2025
• US passport fee is $165 and forms are free at travel.state.gov