Bucks County Free Library: How To Avoid Passport Scams

Press release from the Bucks County Free Library:

July 9, 2023

As travel continues to increase after the “pandemic pause,” many American citizens are rushing to get U.S. passports.

That’s good news for scammers and identity thieves who prey on travelers desperate to obtain a new or renewed passport before a trip.

Passport applications ask for sensitive personal information, including:

Identity thieves can use this information to open new credit accounts, access bank accounts, take out loans, and more. They can also profit by selling your personal information to other online criminals.

Anyone who provides sensitive information to a website or company claiming it can expedite a U.S. passport or book a passport appointment is at high risk of identity theft.

Bucks County Free Library’s Bensalem branch is authorized by the U.S. State Department to offer passport services.

All passport services at the Bensalem branch require an appointment, which can be booked for free on our website or in-person at the Bensalem branch. All appointments must be made in the applicant’s name.

No other website, company, or agency is authorized to book appointments at the Bensalem branch. Any other person or company offering appointments at our Bensalem branch is a scammer, and you should not give them your personal information or pay for a passport appointment.

Eight other locations in Bucks County are authorized to provide passport services. To ensure your personal information is safe, always book appointments for passport services directly through the location offering services. When in doubt, call the location and ask how to get a passport.

Be sure to avoid:

To steer clear of passport scams:

If you are aware of, or have been a victim of, fraud associated with a U.S. passport, file a complaint with the following agencies:

You should also notify the bank or credit card company associated with the payment method used to pay for the passport appointment.

For more information on keeping your personal information safe while using the internet, check out this Tech Talk given by Bucks County Free Library’s IT director.

This press release was produced by the Bucks County Free Library. The views expressed here are the author’s own.