Government paperwork: how to avoid look-alike websites and unnecessary fees

Before you pay, check who is actually handling your paperwork.

The answer in 2 lines. A website offering government paperwork may be a private intermediary charging an extra service fee. It may also be an impersonation scam. Start at USA.gov: search for the service you need and follow its official agency links. Birth certificates, vehicle registrations and passports usually carry legitimate government fees. Check the responsible agency's current instructions before paying, and distinguish the official charge from any optional assistance.

Start with these checks

Find the responsible office independently. Use USA.gov to search by task, then follow the government service link.
Read the address bar. A government-looking name, seal or page design does not establish who operates the website. Check the actual domain before uploading documents.
Identify what you are buying. Is the payment for the official application, a certified record, optional delivery, or merely help completing paperwork? Save the description and checkout terms.

Stop: danger

Unexpected payment link: don't upload identification or payment details through an unsolicited message. Open the agency's website independently and check whether action is required.
Unclear recipient: pause if the checkout does not explain who receives your money or whether the government application will actually be submitted.

Where to begin common requests

Driver's license or vehicle registration: open the USAGov state motor vehicle directory, select your state or territory, and follow its service instructions. Fees and available transactions vary.
Birth certificate: follow USAGov's birth certificate guidance to the office responsible for the place of birth. Check eligibility, identification requirements, ordering methods and fees there.
Passport: use the State Department's official fee page. Its guide asks about your circumstances to identify the appropriate forms and charges; completing that guide does not submit an application.

What not to do

Assuming the first search result is the government office, especially when it is marked sponsored.
Assuming every public service is free, or that every extra charge proves fraud.
Uploading a birth certificate, identification document or Social Security information before verifying the recipient.
Paying again because the first website supplied instructions rather than completing the application: first establish what, if anything, was submitted.

If you already paid

Save the website address, receipt, advertised service, checkout disclosures and correspondence. Ask the seller in writing what it delivered and request cancellation or a refund if the service was misrepresented. Check whether you agreed to recurring charges and keep any cancellation confirmation.

If you believe you were scammed, follow the FTC's payment-specific recovery instructions: contact the institution you used to pay promptly, explain what happened and ask whether the payment can be reversed. Describe accurately whether you authorized the payment after being misled or never authorized it. Recovery is not guaranteed.

Report deception and protect your information

Use the FTC's fraud reporting portal to describe the website, representations, payment method and loss. Keep your report information; reporting does not itself cancel a purchase or secure a refund.

If someone is using your identity, visit IdentityTheft.gov, describe the misuse and follow the recovery plan. If you shared an account password, change it through the genuine account website and change it anywhere else you reused it. Continue checking financial statements for unfamiliar activity.

Good to know

Private assistance and deceptive impersonation are different. Check the disclosure, service promised and total charge before deciding whether assistance is useful.
An official agency may direct applicants to an outside ordering service. Follow that link from the agency's own website rather than assuming an unrelated search result is authorized.
For a concrete state example, the Nevada DMV online services page explains how to recognize its transaction addresses. Use those instructions for Nevada transactions, not as a rule for other states.

Jordan searches for a replacement birth certificate and reaches a page offering paid application assistance. Before uploading identification, Jordan follows the official birth certificate guidance, checks the issuing office's ordering methods and compares the charges. The certificate itself has an official fee, but Jordan avoids paying separately for assistance that wasn't needed.

A made-up story, for illustration.

Bobby

Sources, verification, confidence

Verified on November 6, 2026, for the United States. Confidence: high for official service routes and fraud-response steps; medium for any individual seller's status or refund eligibility. Government fees and ordering arrangements depend on the service and jurisdiction; check the linked office before paying.