‘I got scammed’: Man applies for a passport. But he’s going to Alaska?

There’s traveling, and then there’s living on the road, with your dog, and a willingness to camp next to highway onramps. That’s the real life adventure Rob and his dog Lu are currently on. 

But into everyone’s life, even those of us who’re pretty off-the-grid, paperwork intrudes. For Rob (@robandluonthemove), it comes with a side dish of scam. Or so he alleges. In a TikTok that’s been watched over 7,300 times, he details what happened when he went to get a passport.

His experience is a cautionary tale for anyone applying for or renewing a passport.

There’s also a twist that has some feeling confused: He needs his passport for an upcoming trip to Alaska.

Beware Online Fraudsters

From the front seat of his vehicle, Rob tells his story.

“I got scammed on getting my passport,” he says.

“I went to do the passport application online, to get it ready for the post office and whatnot, and I paid $120.” He explains that he thought that covered part of the application process before he’s supposed to go to the Post Office.

“Turns out, not, not at all,” he says.

Then he arrived at the Post Office to get the passport expedited and he was quoted an additional $240.

“Never heard of a passport being like a total of $360,” he says.

Then he asked about the $120 he’d already paid. He even showed the clerk his bank statement with the debit taken out.

“Ah,” the clerk said, “They’ve been getting a lot of people with that scam.” 

Moral of story? Rob says that if you’re ever going to get your passport, “Don’t submit your card online whatsoever. Just go to the Post Office and pay everything at the Post Office.” 

How common is this passport scam?

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), online scams like this are very common. Scammers prey on people who aren’t familiar with Byzantine governmental bureaucracy. Also, considering that passport renewal is required only every 10 years, it is very easy to click on the wrong link. (In fact, while researching this article, I found myself on a scam website by accident.)

Be safe: if you need to get or renew your passport, the FTC says, go directly to Travel.State.Gov. It is easy to be tricked because some of the fake sites use similar names, flags, and seals, pretending to be affiliated with the government. 

Though there are legitimate sites that charge extra fees to submit or retrieve a passport, the government’s own site says these companies “won’t get your passport faster than if you applied on your own without the extra cost.”

So what should you do? Always look for the dot gov (.gov), suffix in online searches, and remember that the United States Department of State is the agency that handles passport services. Also, while there’s a charge to get a passport, there is no charge for paperwork. “Anyone who asks you to pay for forms is a scammer,” the State Department says. 

Finally, if you need a passport right away, it’s free to set up an appointment. The Department of State doesn’t charge for appointments, and paying someone to set it up won’t make it happen faster. 

A passport to travel to Alaska?

One person who commented on his post wanted to know why Rob needs a passport to get to Alaska. But he’s a road warrior, so he can only get to Alaska by driving north through that land of ice and snow, hence the need for a passport.

According to Niagara Falls USA, U.S. citizens who want to enter Canada need official documents. These can be a “U.S. Passport, U.S. Passport Card, Enhanced Driver’s License (not a REAL ID card), or Trusted Traveler Program Cards such as NEXUS, SENTRI or FAST enrollment.” 

There is also a category called “Special Audiences,” which are special documents for the U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents, U.S. Military, Native Americans, and boaters.

The internet weighs in

Most of the commenters were sympathetic, offering advice on how to potentially recover the funds Rob was scammed out of. Many echo Jessica Catherine’s (@jessica.catherine555) advice: “Go dispute that charge with your bank [downcast emoji] I’m so sorry.”

But several others, like Denisecrubaugh, took a lesson from his story, “Omg! I’m glad you posted this! I’m about to do mine. Hope you get your money back!”

Here’s hoping that what he’s lost in dollars he’ll more than make up for in travel karma.

Boarding Area reached out to Rob via his email, and on TikTok direct message. We’ll update this if he lets us know how the Alaska journey is going.