The landscape for American travelers has become more complicated of late. Travelers are waiting longer for their passports and scammers are rushing to take advantage of the situation
If you’re one of the many trying to get a new passport, be careful where and how you apply.
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has received several complaints about scam sites that appear legitimate but are far from it.
Cinthya Lavin, spokesperson for the BBB, indicates: “We have received complaints from people who have used pages other than the State Department page to be able to process passports quickly and have been scammed.”
A Miami resident shared his experience. “I went to a website that looked a lot like the official government website, filled out the form, made the payment, paid for insurance as well.” However, he ended up losing $128 dollars.
The BBB advises consumers to go only to the Department of State page to make a passport application. Browsing the Internet can lead you to sites that may be scams.
It is recommended to start with the official site travel.state.govwhich provides all the necessary details.
The State Department told Telemundo 51 Responds that it is working to reintroduce an online passport renewal system, with the pilot program expected to be available by the end of the year.
“For information in Spanish we have pages on our website, but also the call center offers bilingual information,” said Andrés Rodríguez, lead community relations officer for passport services.
However, it is essential to be cautious. Although some private companies offer assistance with passport applications for an additional fee and may use logos that resemble those of the government, they are not part of the US government or connected to the State Department. The Department advises that using these services will not expedite your passport process.
Finally, the Better Business Bureau advises using credit cards for online payments because of their added protections. Using a debit or prepaid card increases the risk of losing money if it’s a scam.
