The Federal Trade Commission has sued GovAssist LLC, Entry LLC and their owner, Scott Zuckerman, alleging they misled travelers into paying for passport services by appearing to be the federal government or affiliated with it. The complaint was filed October 22 in federal court in Puerto Rico.
The FTC alleges the operation collected at least $40 million from more than 300,000 consumers in the three years preceding the filing. Those are the agency's allegations, not a court's findings.
What travelers allegedly received
The complaint says paid Google search ads directed people seeking new passports or renewals to application pages on IVS.us and Entry.com. It alleges the ads and landing pages created an impression of government affiliation, despite disclaimers the agency describes as inconspicuous or absent from pages consumers saw.
According to the complaint, some customers who expected a passport received only application paperwork they still had to submit to the State Department. The agency alleges customers also had to take additional steps and pay government fees, and that delivery promises misrepresented what the companies could provide.
The FTC says advertised starting prices of $89 did not match the lowest listed service: $119 plus $29 shipping, totaling $148, before the separate government payment. It also alleges the companies promoted fabricated positive reviews that Trustpilot identified and removed.
What the case asks the court to do
The complaint brings five counts under the FTC Act, the government's impersonation rule and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. They concern alleged government impersonation, passport-service claims, consumer reviews and false statements used to obtain financial account information.
The FTC requests a permanent injunction against future violations and monetary or other relief, including refunds or changes to contracts where the court finds appropriate. A request for refunds is not an award, a settlement or an application process for consumers.
The FTC's announcement says the case will be decided by the court.
Where to report a concern
The agency directs reports of fraud, scams and bad business practices to ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Its announcement does not set a claims deadline or promise payment to particular customers.