FRANKLIN — A Franklin mother thought she was applying for her daughter's passport online. Instead, she entered sensitive personal information — including her daughter's Social Security number — on a website that was not affiliated with the U.S. government.
Emily Mortimer said she was in a rush when she opened Google and clicked through to what she believed was an official government site.
"I populated all of my info in, including my daughter's SS number, and I didn't realize until I had submitted the transaction that I wasn't on a government website," Mortimer said.
It wasn't until the final page of the transaction that she noticed something was wrong.
"It honestly wasn't until we got to that very last transaction page... that's when I realized the logo on the page was not a U.S. government logo," Mortimer said.
Mortimer lost about $180. But her bigger concern is where her daughter's Social Security number, their home address, and other personal information could end up.
"It definitely was a bit of a pit in my stomach," Mortimer said.
The Better Business Bureau says many websites charge people to fill out forms that are available for free through the U.S. government.
According to the BBB, these sites trick U.S. citizens into paying a fee to fill out a renewal form that is a free download on the government's website, and in the process, consumers may hand over personal and financial information to potentially unsecured websites.
The BBB says scam sites often appear at the top of search results and may even be listed as sponsored ads.
After realizing the mistake, Mortimer contacted her bank, disputed the charge, froze her daughter's credit, and started identity monitoring.
The BBB says the most important thing people can do before entering any personal information online is to check the web address.
"Does it end in dot-gov? If it doesn't, you want to move on before giving out any information at all," BBB representative Lisa Schiller said.
The BBB also warns that scammers can make URLs appear legitimate even when they aren't, so consumers should take a close look before typing in any sensitive information.
Mortimer's advice is to slow down — even when trying to check one more item off a travel to-do list.
"I'm usually very organized, I'm usually very put together. This is not common for me to kind of slip up like this. So knowing that I was even kind of tricked by it... I wanted to make sure that if the opportunity is out there to share with other people... they can be a little bit more diligent," Mortimer said.
The BBB also says giving yourself plenty of time to apply or renew a passport can help you avoid the panic that leads people to click on the wrong link. According to the BBB, processing times can change often, and consumers should also account for the time it takes for a passport to arrive at the passport agency and be mailed back. Current processing times are available at state.gov.
U.S. citizens who meet the requirements can now renew their passports online through the U.S. Department of State. Those who do not meet the requirements can still renew by mail. Passport renewal forms are free to download on the government's website, and consumers should only need to provide payment for the renewal itself, not to fill out the forms.
If you think you have shared personal information with the wrong website, contact your bank right away, monitor your credit, and report it to BBB Scam Tracker at BBB.org.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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