By admin 
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — A CBS 17 Investigation can help you avoid a costly passport trap this summer, amid websites that look official but can charge you hundreds more than you should pay.
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Summer months are among the busiest for international trips, which means it’s time to dust off your passport or renew it.
Terry Morris went online to try to get hers.
“This service came up that looked like a government website. It had the same colors as the post office and everything, so I thought it was the government website,” said Morris, of Raleigh. “I did not look at the URL.”
CBS 17 Investigates asked her what website it was. “It was United Passport,” Morris said.
The company is not affiliated with the U.S. government, though its website says it’s a “trusted” passport courier service. It also says it helps streamline the process of getting a passport, to help with any possible mistakes along the way.
“I gave them my birth certificate, my birth name, my married name, everything that you need to fill out a passport for, Social Security and two photos that were taken over at Walgreens,” said Morris.
Morris tells CBS 17 Investigates she paid $183 to the company for their services. She says the company sent her forms that are available for free on the U.S. Department of State website, including a passport application.
“I literally thought I was getting a physical passport, not just the application,” Morris said.
She says she also received instructions to visit a local passport acceptance facility. When she went to the post office, they told her she needed to pay another $160 for her passport.
“Almost $400 for a passport. That should have only cost me $160 to begin with,” she said.
While United Passport describes itself as a legitimate, non-government service, Morris feels she was wronged.
“I made two complaints, one to the North Carolina attorney general. And the other complaint was to the FTC, the Federal Trade Commission,” she said.
CBS 17 Investigates obtained a copy of Morris’ complaint to the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office, along with two other consumer complaints made in the last few months.
The company responded to one of those complaints by saying in part, “Our website clearly discloses our third-party status and provides a link to the official government site for customers who prefer to apply independently. We are not a scam and do not represent ourselves as a government agency.”
At the very bottom of the company’s website, it says, “United Passport is a non-government service provider working with licensed US Passport couriers. If you do not wish to use a third party, visit the U.S. Department of State website.”
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The site includes a hyperlink to the U.S. Department of State’s website.
The Department of State has a list of more than 200 “registered” couriers that could help people with the passport process, noting that those companies charge fees for their services.
CBS 17 Investigates did not find a company listed under the name “United Passport” on the state department’s list.
But we did find something else: a company listed as “123 Travel Passport,” whose website redirects to the “United Passport” page.
“There are many services and companies out there that may be legitimate, but the State Department can’t vouch for them,” said Mignon Houston, U.S. Dept of State deputy spokesperson.
Houston says sticking to government websites is a safe bet, for anyone specifically trying to avoid scams.
“If we want to avoid scams, we always recommend go to a dot gov likely travel dot state.gov for all resources regarding your passport.”
On the U.S. Department of State’s website, you can get the documents for your passport or if you qualify, you may be able to renew online. For new passports, you go to any passport acceptance facility.
For many, it’s your local post office.
“As it relates to passport facilities, we have over 7,500 across the United States. I’m hearing that for every individual, that means 99 percent of U.S. citizens are likely within 20-mile radius of a passport facility,” Houston told CBS 17 Investigates.
The Better Business Bureau of Eastern Carolinas tells CBS 17 Investigates that they receive more reports of possible passport scams this time of year, as we head into these warmer months.
“People are looking for services to fill out or turn in passport paperwork and they’re either not receiving their paperwork back or they have paid for a service that they did not necessarily receive. So, they expect that this will cover the state fee or the federal fee, but really, you’re just paying for a singular person to try and help you with your passport,” said Saige Heigel, communications specialist for BBB Eastern Carolinas.
As for Morris, she tells CBS 17 Investigates, “My bank was understanding. And they have given me a provisional refund.”
Bottom line, if you’re applying for a passport, start at travel.state.gov, where forms are free and fees are clearly listed.
In the coming weeks, we are digging into that list of more than 200 registered courier companies and how the industry operates.
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