Searched for a Passport Renewal? FTC Says These Top Google Ads Weren't the Government

Published Oct. 26, 2026. Case statuses are current as of that date.

You type "passport renewal online" into Google and click the first result. The page looks official, quotes a low price and promises your passport in days. According to the Federal Trade Commission, for many travelers that first result was not the U.S. State Department at all.

On Oct. 22, 2026, the FTC announced a lawsuit against GovAssist LLC, Entry LLC and Scott Zuckerman, alleging a government impersonation scheme that deceived consumers seeking passport services [1]. The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico after a 2-0 Commission vote.

Important: These are allegations in a civil complaint. The FTC files a complaint when it has "reason to believe" the law is being or is about to be violated; the case will be decided by the court. No court has found that GovAssist, Entry or Mr. Zuckerman violated the law in this matter.

The defendants are not the government. According to the FTC, GovAssist and Entry are neither the federal government nor an authorized government-affiliated provider of passport-related services. U.S. passports are issued only by the State Department.

How the scheme allegedly worked

Since at least October 2023, the FTC says, the defendants have run websites including GovAssist.com, Entry.com and IVS.us offering passports and passport-related services, as well as visa applications and renewals, while pretending to be affiliated with the State Department [1]. The complaint describes four main tactics:

1. Buying the top of the search results. The defendants allegedly used paid Google search ads so their pages appeared where consumers would expect official government sites. Searches for phrases such as "apply for a new passport," "how can I renew my passport," "passport renewal" and "passport renewal online" routinely showed the IVS.us and Entry.com application pages as top sponsored results, according to the FTC.
2. Promising what only the government can deliver. The FTC says the defendants claimed they could directly issue U.S. passports. In many instances, consumers received only a completed passport application they could have gotten free from the State Department's website.
3. Misleading prices. The sites allegedly advertised services that "start at $89." The FTC says the lowest actual price was $119 plus a $29 shipping fee, or $148, and that the sites omitted or downplayed the separate payment owed to the State Department, so some consumers didn't realize they would have to pay again.
4. Allegedly impossible timelines and fake reviews. The sites allegedly offered expedited passports in "6-10 business days" or "3-4 business days," which the FTC says is faster than the fastest expedited service offered by the State Department, the only source for passports. The defendants also allegedly touted an "excellent rating" on Trustpilot and other review sites that was based on high numbers of fake positive reviews.

The FTC alleges violations of the FTC Act, the Impersonation Rule and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, which covers the handling of consumers' financial information.

"Using paid Google search ads and landing pages to impersonate the government and target American travelers is illegal," said Christopher Mufarrige, Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection [1].

The defendants and their status

• GovAssist LLC. Named defendant in the FTC's civil complaint. Allegations only; no ruling [1].
• Entry LLC. Named defendant in the same complaint. Allegations only; no ruling [1].
• Scott Zuckerman, described by the FTC as the owner and sole member of GovAssist and Entry. The FTC says he ran the alleged scheme while under an FTC order from a prior, unrelated case, Support King LLC, which involved stalkerware and resulted in a final administrative order addressing data privacy [1].

This is a civil case, not a criminal prosecution. The FTC's announcement does not mention any criminal charges. The FTC thanked the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Puerto Rico and the State Department for their help.

Red flags of passport and visa look-alike sites

• A "Sponsored" or "Ad" label next to the search result. Official government services rarely need to advertise at the top of search results.
• A web address that doesn't end in .gov. U.S. passport services are offered through the State Department at travel.state.gov.
• A low "starting at" price that grows at checkout, or fees described vaguely as "service" or "processing."
• Promises to "issue" your passport, or to deliver it faster than the State Department's own published expedited times.
• Glowing ratings displayed on the site itself, with no easy way to check where they came from.

What to do if you've been targeted

1. Go directly to travel.state.gov by typing the address, rather than clicking an ad, to apply for or renew a U.S. passport.
2. Check your card statement for charges from a passport "assistance" company you didn't mean to use, and contact your card issuer about a dispute if you were misled.
3. Make sure your actual application was submitted. If you only received a filled-in form, you may still need to file it and pay the government's fees.
4. Watch your accounts, since these sites collect personal and financial information.
5. Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Case status (as of Oct. 26, 2026)

Defendant	Court	Status	Source
GovAssist LLC	U.S. District Court, D.P.R. (FTC civil complaint)	Sued by FTC; complaint announced Oct. 22, 2026; allegations pending	[1]
Entry LLC	U.S. District Court, D.P.R. (FTC civil complaint)	Sued by FTC; allegations pending	[1]
Scott Zuckerman, owner and sole member of GovAssist and Entry	U.S. District Court, D.P.R. (FTC civil complaint)	Sued by FTC; allegations pending; not criminally charged per FTC release	[1]

Statuses can change. A case number was not listed in the FTC's announcement (status pending).

Sources

1. Federal Trade Commission, "FTC Sues Perpetrators of Government Impersonation Scheme Over Deceptive Ads, Misleading Promises and Fake Reviews," Oct. 22, 2026. https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/10/ftc-sues-perpetrators-government-impersonation-scheme-over-deceptive-ads-misleading-promises-fake

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