The case
The FTC has sued GovAssist, Entry and Scott Zuckerman over an alleged government-impersonation scheme targeting people searching for passport services. The complaint was filed in federal court in Puerto Rico, the agency announced October 22.
What the agency alleges
The FTC says paid search advertisements and landing pages led customers to believe they were dealing with the government or an authorized affiliate. It also challenges service promises, pricing disclosures and positive reviews that it alleges were fabricated.
The gap between an application and a passport
According to the complaint, some customers received a completed application rather than the passport service they expected, and still needed to pay the State Department. The agency also disputes advertised expedited timelines. These descriptions are allegations, not final court findings.
The price described in the filing
The complaint gives a specific example of the alleged disconnect. It says an April advertisement described services as starting at $89, while the lowest listed application-service price was $119 plus $29 shipping. It also says a separate State Department payment appeared in a smaller disclaimer. For a customer, those are separate transactions: paying a private company to prepare paperwork and paying the government to process a passport. The complaint argues that the way the prices were presented blurred that distinction.
The next step
The complaint seeks court relief and remains to be decided. The reviewed materials do not include a defendant response. Readers can examine the pricing examples and allegations directly in the complaint linked below.
Why this story is in the editionCurrent federal enforcement development; nationwide search popularity has not been independently measured.
Prepared with AI assistance. Source-based reporting checked on October 23, 2026. This article does not update automatically. Read our editorial standards.
