Fake Passport Renewal Scams via Email
How fraudulent passport renewal services use email to intercept applicants with official-looking forms, charging unnecessary fees and risking the loss of sensitive identity documents.
Part of: Fake Passport Renewal Scams
Last reviewed: 8 June 2026
Passport renewal is an infrequent task that most people have limited experience with, making it fertile ground for intermediary scam services. Fraudulent websites appear prominently in search results and advertise through targeted emails, offering to handle passport renewal at a premium above the government fee. Some are designed purely to collect the service fee while providing no value; others are more dangerous, collecting genuine passport applications and personal documents that they fail to submit, or submit after significant delays.
The most serious risk is that victims send their existing passport, new photographs, and personal documents to a fraudulent service that disappears with the materials.
How this scam works on email
An email or search ad directs a passport applicant to an official-looking portal that collects personal information, charges a fee significantly above the government rate, and issues confirmation references. The actual application may never be submitted, submitted incorrectly, or delayed so that travel plans are disrupted.
In physical mail variants, a letter arrives on government-style letterhead directing the recipient to renew through a specific website for a processing fee. The recipient, assuming it is an official government communication, pays and provides personal details.
Common red flags
- Service charge is substantially above the official government passport fee
- Website domain does not match the official passport authority's domain
- Application requires uploading your existing passport scan before any official identity verification
- Confirmation reference cannot be verified on the official passport agency's tracking system
- Email or letter implies urgency around an expiry date in a government-like communication style
How to protect yourself
- Renew passports only through your country's official passport authority website
- Verify the official fee on the government website before paying any third party
- Never send physical passport documents to a service you cannot independently verify as legitimate
- Use your country's official postal application or approved renewal centres for physical submissions
- Check your application status directly on the official government tracker
How to report it
- Report to your national passport authority so they can warn other applicants
- Report to Trading Standards (UK) or the FTC (US) for deceptive government-impersonating services
- If documents were sent and not returned, report to police as the service may be holding identity documents
Frequently asked questions
How do I find the official passport renewal website?
In the UK, passport renewal is handled through gov.uk/renew-adult-passport. In the US, through travel.state.gov. Always type the government URL directly and be cautious of any third-party site that charges above the official government fee.