The FTC alleges the companies misled passport applicants about government ties, fees and delivery times, bringing those claims before a federal court in Puerto Rico.
The US Federal Trade Commission announced on October 22 that it had sued GovAssist LLC, Entry LLC and their owner, Scott Zuckerman, alleging they misled passport applicants about government affiliation, charges and how quickly they could deliver passports.
The FTC alleges the operation had run since at least October 2023. Although the State Department is the only issuer of US passports, the defendants allegedly promised they could issue passports directly. In many instances, the agency says, customers received only a completed application they could have obtained free from the department’s website.
According to the complaint, paid Google Search ads placed the defendants’ passport pages among the top sponsored results for searches about applying for or renewing a passport. The FTC alleges the ads and websites led consumers to believe they were dealing with the government or an authorized government-affiliated provider, when neither was true.
The agency also alleges the defendants used fake positive reviews to make their services appear legitimate. Their websites promoted an “excellent rating” on Trustpilot, an online customer-review platform, and other review sites that the FTC says relied on large numbers of fake reviews.
The FTC alleges that the advertised starting price understated the minimum customers actually had to pay.
| Price or charge |
|---|
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| Advertised starting price | $89 |
| Lowest service charge offered | $119 |
| Additional shipping fee | $29 |
| Minimum total before State Department fees | $148 |
The defendants allegedly omitted or downplayed the separate State Department payment. The FTC says this left some customers unaware they would have to pay again when submitting their applications to the department.
The complaint also challenges promises that customers could pay extra to receive passports in as little as 6–10 or 3–4 business days. The FTC says those promises were impossible because they were faster than the State Department’s fastest available expedited service.
These are allegations, not findings of wrongdoing. The FTC says it files a complaint when it has reason to believe a law is being violated or is about to be violated and a proceeding would serve the public interest. The complaint was filed in the US District Court for the District of Puerto Rico, which will decide the case.
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