USCG vessel documentation scam warning !!!

[Satch]

I recently purchased a “documented vessel” and in the process of renewing and transferring the documentation to my name was scammed by a company pretending to be an agent of the United States Coast Guard (USCG), which is the agency that controls national vessel documentation for the USA. Since I am currently in the IT the profession and do practically everything online, I searched on the subject and quickly found what appeared to be the “official’ website for completing the process online. I moved a little too quickly and didn’t pay much attention to the fine print, which turned out to be a major league mistake. Unbeknownst to me, it was a third party scam site, intentionally impersonating the USCG. At the end of the application process, which asked for very little and was complete in about 10 minutes, I was asked to pay $450, which I thought was excessive compared to state vessel registration and titling fees, but this was the federal government after all, so I just chalked it up to bureaucratic inefficiency and ponied up.

In the email correspondence that confirmed my request, I noticed that the email return address was not from .gov or .mil, and so began to suspect something was wrong. I went back to the web and dug into it more carefully this time to find out that the site I found was not an agent of the USCG at all, and that the proper USCG site, the National Vessel Documentation Center (NVDC) knows full well of these imposters. There is a link on the NVDC home page entitled “Third Party Awareness” which goes to a page describing the problem and directing customer complaints to the Federal Trade Commission website. When I finally found the true USCG NVDC page for renewing and transferring vessel documentation, I learned that the fees involved amounted to $128. So the scammer charged me $322 more that it should have cost me just to take my data online and forward it to the USCG.

When I contacted the third party about cancelling my order, they produces a bunch of fine print bull**** that in my haste I had apparently clicked over without reading, which said that I could cancel the order but the fees are not refundable. Moreover, they told me that the Certificate of Documentation (COD) would be mailed to me from them, not directly from the USCG, meaning that they could intercept and withhold it from me. So I had no choice but to let them proceed or get nothing for my $450. I tried to dispute the charge with my credit card bank, explaining the third party’s impersonation of a federal office, the warning about them on the NVDC site, and their unfair business practices, but they refused my request, stating that they can’t get in the middle of a “contract”.

How these scammers are able to get away with this, especially given the warning on the NVDC website, is beyond me. These business practices are unfair and unethical, if not borderline illegal. However, I have neither the inclination nor the resources to challenge the legality of “contracts” made online with deceptive user interface design and electronic entrapment, so I am spreading the word to as many potential victims as I can reach with my social media tools.

Since becoming painfully aware of the problem I have found that there are many of these third party imposters. I won’t identify any of them because it would give them exposure that they don’t deserve. Instead, I give the link to the proper site, the USCG NVDC, below:

IF YOU ARE APPLYING FOR, RENEWING, OR TRANSFERRING NATIONAL VESSEL DOCUMENTATION THROUGH THE UNITED STATES COAST GUARD, GO TO THE NATIONAL VESSEL DOCUMENTATION WEBSITE AND NOWHERE ELSE:
https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Our-Organi...s-DCO-D/National-Vessel-Documentation-Center/

 

[Bacchus]

I think the key is they are certainly misleading but still operating in the "legal" territory. They provide a service for a fee. Nothing you can't do yourself and to most of us the fee is unreasonable.
If you agree to pay them to provide the service it isn't a scam or illegal... as they say "Caveat emptor"
Illegal or scam would be if they advertised a service, took your $ and delivered nothing,
When you search vessel documentation the official USCG site turns up but well down the list of third parties.
No doubt they are misleading but I don't think that is a crime or most "marketing" would be illegal.

 

[Porgy]

Sorry for your misfortune but this subject has been so thoroughly beaten to death and warned about all over the Internet, I’d like to say it’s hard to believe people are still being duped but, here we are. Apparently many of these companies have a sufficient volume of fine print, which few read, that make them legal.

It’s curious that some folks are cynical enough to believe the government would charge an exorbitant fee for trivial paperwork but, not cynical enough to believe an Internet scammer may be at work for that same amount.

 

[John R M]

Since becoming painfully aware of the problem I have found that there are many of these third party imposters. I won’t identify any of them because it would give them exposure that they don’t deserve.

But that's how these companies can continue to fleece the public, not enough people know about them.

 

[psneeld]

Lately I have been getting PAYPAL scam notices requiring me to update credit card info. Realistic logo, the works......

 

[Group9]

Lately I have been getting PAYPAL scam notices requiring me to update credit card info. Realistic logo, the works......

Been getting those, too. Scammers, they are imaginative, if not honest.

 

[Dwk]

Boats U S also

I recently got a notice that my Boats U S membership was going to expire and I could renew with a discount if I proceeded per there instructions. The site looked legit with matching logo,photos etc. I smelled BS, closed the page and sent a email to Boats U S about the attempt to scam. Bastards!

 

[keith c]

At the risk of beating another dead horse etc, are you really benefiting from getting your vessel documented?

 

[psneeld]

At the risk of beating another dead horse etc, are you really benefiting from getting your vessel documented?

Is this a generic question or for someone who is already out money with no hope of getting it back?


If a generic question...documentation may or not benefit a boatowner...depends of a few variables.

 

[Satch]

At the risk of beating another dead horse etc, are you really benefiting from getting your vessel documented?

The horse that I am riding has not been beaten to death, namely that unless your buddy, your daddy, or a forum like this forewarns you, these parasites are gaming the ease of electronic transactions via the internet to screw people in a way that should be illegal, or at least made impossible by the Coast Guard. It would be trivial for the Coast Guard to deny applications made by third parties without direct approval from the owner of the boat. You know, a confirming email, like most financial institutions require to cover their keester? This email could say something like:

Do you know these clowns are not the Coast Guard and that they are charging you an exorbitant "service fee"? If you agree to be fleeced, click here, otherwise, go to our legitimate USCG NVDC site here: https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Our-Organi...s-DCO-D/National-Vessel-Documentation-Center/.
​

And yes, I benefit. I cross into Canadian waters and I don't have to have my state's numbers defacing the pretty face of my boat.

 

[Swfla]

Sorry to hear you got tricked with no recourse. It feels awful to be a victim. I did a quick search and the top two results were ADVERTISEMENTS for a company like you're talking about. Search engines make money by selling top placement for a search. It's best to carefully look at several websites as a general practice. Assuming that you do get your certificate, then there's no recourse, no crime committed. There's always new people to scam. I think it's good that you shared your story. Lots of other similar "middleman" schemes for all sorts of permits and licenses including driving license.