The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is suing GovAssist LLC, Entry LLC, and Scott Zuckerman for their involvement in a deceptive scheme that impersonates the federal government to mislead consumers seeking passport services.

The FTC alleges that the defendants used paid search ads to create the illusion of being affiliated with the government, luring travelers to their websites with false promises of passport services. This operation has been ongoing since at least October 2023, with websites like GovAssist.com and Entry.com falsely claiming to offer passport-related services.

According to the complaint, the defendants illegally impersonated the government by positioning their websites as official federal resources. They misled consumers searching for passport services by appearing as top results on Google for relevant queries, despite not being authorized providers.

Additionally, the defendants made false promises regarding their services, claiming they could directly issue U.S. passports and misrepresenting their prices and delivery timelines. Consumers were often left with only completed applications that could have been obtained for free from the State Department.

The FTC also highlighted that the defendants used fake positive reviews to enhance the legitimacy of their services, further deceiving consumers. The lawsuit alleges violations of the FTC Act, the Impersonation Rule, and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act.

Notably, Zuckerman was previously under an FTC order for unrelated violations involving data privacy, raising concerns about his continued deceptive practices.