GovAssist Passport Fees: Is It an Official Government Service?
No. The FTC alleges that GovAssist LLC and Entry LLC, owned by Scott Zuckerman, bought Google ads that made their passport sites look affiliated with the US State Department, which they are not. The FTC filed suit on October 22, 2026; these are allegations, and the court will decide the case.
What to do now
- Start passport applications at travel.state.gov.
- If you already paid a private site, keep the receipt and the ad or page you saw.
- Ask your card issuer whether a dispute is possible.
- Report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Who owns the resolution
The federal court decides the FTC case; your card issuer handles disputes.
Evidence to prepare
- Your account email or user ID
- Screenshots or a confirmation number for the specific order/booking/transaction
- Any messages you already exchanged with support about this
Turn this answer into a question about your case
Give another AI the facts it needs—not just “what should I do?”
I need practical help with a Passport services (GovAssist case) issue. The policy question: GovAssist Passport Fees: Is It an Official Government Service? Useful context I found: No. The FTC alleges that GovAssist LLC and Entry LLC, owned by Scott Zuckerman, bought Google ads that made their passport sites look affiliated with the US State Department, which they are not. The FTC filed suit on October 22, 2026; these are allegations, and the court will decide the case. My specific situation: [Describe what happened, including dates and messages shown] The outcome I want: [Refund, verification, appeal, account recovery, explanation, etc.] Important constraints: [Country, deadline, booking/account status, documents already submitted, budget, or other limits] Please: 1. Identify any missing facts you need before reaching a conclusion. 2. Separate platform policy, local law, and your own inference. 3. Give me the safest next steps in priority order. 4. Use current official sources where possible and flag anything that may have changed. 5. Draft a concise message I can paste to customer support. 6. Do not invent account access, guarantees, refund rights, or legal conclusions.
Why this policy exists
The FTC says the sites appeared at the top of searches like "passport renewal," advertised services from $89 while the lowest real price was $119 plus $29 shipping ($148), underplayed or omitted the separate State Department fees, claimed they could issue passports when consumers often got only a completed application that is free from the State Department, promised timelines faster than the State Department’s fastest option, and showed a Trustpilot "excellent rating" built largely on fake reviews.
The case is in the US District Court for the District of Puerto Rico.
- FTC Sues Perpetrators of Government Impersonation Scheme Over Deceptive Ads, Misleading Promises and Fake Reviews (Oct 22, 2026) — Federal Trade Commission
- Passport Fees (U.S. Department of State, last updated March 19, 2026) — U.S. Department of State
Last verified against the sources above on 2026-10-23. Policy and deadlines can change -- use the official support link below for the current rule.
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