Fake USCG Registration

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SHASA III

SHASA III

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2013
Messages
84
Location
USA
Vessel Name
SHASA
Vessel Make
Transworld 40 Sundeck
Maybe some others have seen this, as well...

I just received an official looking "Vessel Reinstatement Courtesy Notice" from "U.S. Vessel Documentation" web site, advising me that my USCG documentation had expired and to contact them. The web site is uscgdocumentation.us, which is obviously not the USCG. I'm sure they would be happy to do an unnecessary renewal for me, at a "special" price....just cough-up my credit card #!

I know my certificate is still valid, so it was obviously bogus. I can see, however, how someone could get sucked-in with this scam.

Lots of bottom feeders out there...caveat emptor!
 
This is a great post and something all should see. I've made it a 'stickie' so it stays at the top of the section list for a while.
 
I wouldn't say it's fake. It looks like a presumably legitimate documentation service company. A bit misleading? Sure, if you aren't paying attention. Sleezy, yes. But down at the bottom of the home page it does say:

U.S. Vessel Documentation is NOT the U.S. Coast Guard or the National Vessel Documentation Center; we are a third party agency that handles USCG Documentation processing to NVDC

I guess I don't see it as any worse that the endless calls and emails I get about my car warranty expiring. They all suck.

One thing I check before doing business with any web outfit is read the about page and the contact page. If there is no substantial description of the business, and no actual street address, I just move on. This outfit doesn't even have an about page, let along any company info. So they seem to be making every effort to make you think they are the NVDC.
 
Thanks, Al...glad to provide some useful info. I should note that my notice came in the USPS mail, with the web site & a phone number listed in the letter.

Cheers
 
When I got my renewal notices this year, I thought about renewing on-line. Until I noticed the yearly cost went from $26 per boat per year if I sent a check to $75 a year on-line. Maybe I ended up on a third party site, but it seemed excessive. Anybody else notice the difference or renewed on-line?
 
bcam: You were on a third party site. I renew on line each year and its something like $26.00. The third party site is one of the ones that pop up quickly when googling USCG registration.
 
ulysses said:
bcam: You were on a third party site. I renew on line each year and its something like $26.00. The third party site is one of the ones that pop up quickly when googling USCG registration.
Click to expand...



^ this.

When I get the renewal notice in the mail from the USCG they always list the URL for the online renewal. It is cheap(ish).
 
Since the USCG sends the renewal notice in plenty of time , the USPO can get the check to them for under a half a buck.
 
I have used the USCG.mil site for renewing my doc for the past 2 years. It's included in the renewal letter. It's fast and easy with no extra costs beyond the approximately $26 fee.
 
FF said:
Since the USCG sends the renewal notice in plenty of time , the USPO can get the check to them for under a half a buck.
Click to expand...

And in a few years you won't have that option as the cost of handling a check in total is about $10 versus a cost of handling electronic payments of about $1. As a business owner it costs us far more to handle checks than credit card payments. In business now, we process over 98% of all our payments electronically. Oh, and we do not pay any employees by check. I'm even old enough to remember when everyone had to run to the bank each pay day.
 
DOCUMENTED VESSEL Owners BEWARE

Received an official looking letter from US Documentation. The letter and website is made to look like its the Coast Guard. They even have USCGdocumentation.us as their email address (bet they thought that was clever) also Coast Guard links and videos that look like you are navigating within the Coast Guard adorn the website. They charge $75 to renew your annual Documentation and you can select to renew up to 5 years (Coast Guard charges $26 and you can do it in 5 minutes online EFT from your checking account or use a Credit Card here: https://www.pay.gov/public/form/start/1175233 ). I attempted to cancel three minutes after the transaction hit and you get a very long email full of legalese telling you you are not able to cancel. I protested in additional emails and left Voice Mails and only get other email threatening if you dispute the charge on your credit card that they will file a lien on your boat. The email came from"Captain"John Soria, again an attempt at clever.

So beware and spread these words of information and caution to your boating friends. Overpaying by 300% is like missing a marker and running aground. Please warn others of this Navigation hazard!!

IMG_1696.JPG
 
My renewal notices always come in the mail. Has there been a change to that?

Ted
 
I received mine as usual before year's end and it was the same as before with the mail in
payment that had not changed. Thanks for the head's up from "Spottsville" however.
 
I'm 90% certain it's a scam, 'cuz when I did a search for vessel documentation, all the legitimate sites have a either a "USDC" (U.S. Documentation Center) or an "NVDC" (National Vessel Documentation Center) logo, neither of which seem to be on the letter you posted. They also include USCG in their URLs. I'd be 100% sure if I could figure out how they managed to hijack the Pay-Gov page, 'cuz it seems to be real.

Hopefully you used a credit card. If so, I'd dispute the charge, including all correspondence from 'em including their threat to put a lien on your boat if you do. That suggests to me that it happens a lot, that they figure no will risk it for just $75. I'd also forward all of it the real USCG doc service.

That's what I'd do anyway...
 
Its not a scam but it is VERY misleading. That is a documentation service that is trying to look like the CG site and get people to renew through them for an up charge. Not illegal, but unethical in my book.
 
Sailor of Fortune said:
Its not a scam but it is VERY misleading. That is a documentation service that is trying to look like the CG site and get people to renew through them for an up charge. Not illegal, but unethical in my book.
Click to expand...

I wonder if there's anything (legal) we can do to make their business model fail. Sort of like the folks who lead phone scammers on a wild goose chase, wasting their time without succumbing to the scam.

I'd be more than willing to donate some of my time to help bankrupt this scum.
 
Sailor of Fortune said:
Its not a scam but it is VERY misleading. That is a documentation service that is trying to look like the CG site and get people to renew through them for an up charge. Not illegal, but unethical in my book.
Click to expand...

In that case, their threat to put a lien on your boat if you dispute the charge is most likely an effort to stem the tide of people who find out they can do it for 1/3 their price. I'd still report 'em to the USCG.
 
Sailor of Fortune said:
Its not a scam but it is VERY misleading. That is a documentation service that is trying to look like the CG site and get people to renew through them for an up charge. Not illegal, but unethical in my book.
Click to expand...

Actually, I think it would be illegal, just like ones we've seen before on Social Security and other government offices. If an attorney general were to prosecute, I think a cease and desist could be obtained easily. Or if the CG pressed charges. They just get by with it as long as they can and once stopped, if ever stopped, they go as close to the new line drawn in the sand as they can.
 
This quote is from another forum that I frequent, same slimy Documentation service.
"I also dropped a note to the contact us link on US documentation indicating I had cancelled my transaction and reported it as a fraudulent website.

As a result I got a series of abusive and threatening responses back from the owner of the site,who as it turns out is a west coast surveyor with no affiliation to USCG and who recently started the company.

I would stay far away form this site, the responses I got were pretty scary, I would not trust this site with my CC credentials..." Scumbag!
 
All in all:

As long as the scum bag (a person "legally" leading people on) does not say something "legally" incorrect or take actions "legally" incorrect for getting people to renew registration through their "service" then there is little legal basis to get "legal" actions taken against them. In reality - It is simply a service/scam (an expensive one at that) to help get your boat registered... nothing more nothing less. It is up to a boat owner weather or not to utilize that service for their boat registration. If the s-bag running that site has good enough legal counsel that crossed the t's and dotted the i's so there is no "legal" infringement... then the term "Buyer Beware" comes into play!

There are automobile s-bag companies too that play heavily into vehicle registration "assistance" for seniors that do not understand the ins and outs of BULLSHITT!!

These registration "services" are often reprehensible in how they "trick" innocent product owners to pay them for doing what the owner themselves could easily accomplish at fraction of their cost. However, in the large part the services are legal.
 
BandB said:
And in a few years you won't have that option as the cost of handling a check in total is about $10 versus a cost of handling electronic payments of about $1. As a business owner it costs us far more to handle checks than credit card payments. In business now, we process over 98% of all our payments electronically. Oh, and we do not pay any employees by check. I'm even old enough to remember when everyone had to run to the bank each pay day.
Click to expand...

OOOO! so old!! LOL

Now you are beginning to date yourself. This factor will increase as age gains its lever on ya! :rofl:

:D
 
Art said:
These registration "services" are often reprehensible in how they "trick" innocent product owners to pay them for doing what the owner themselves could easily accomplish at fraction of their cost. However, in the large part the services are legal.
Click to expand...

Actually I've heard that argument many times but in doing things to make it appear they are a government agency, which clearly they do, they cross into a zone that has often been found illegal. The problem is that it takes a lot of effort to prosecute and most states Attorney Generals and the US Attorney General have bigger things to deal with.

However, there's a better answer.

Sometimes the FTC, has stepped in. They can charge it as an "Unfair Business Practice" over which they do have responsibility and control. They typically react based on the number of complaints filed with them.

https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/Information#crnt&panel1-1

Now, the typical agreement reached after the FTC takes action is requiring the company to note very clearly on all documents that they are not related to the government agency and not part of any government agency. Companies claiming to assist with social security have often been dealt with in this way as the volume of complaints is very high, but this documentation service wouldn't have the same level of complaints. I would encourage anyone to have been misled by them to file a complaint though with the FTC and also one with the attorney general of the state they're operating in.

It's deceptive advertising and the FTC is the way to go for action.
 
Instead I get a load of lies, especially the one where they claim 46 CFR 67.500(e) prevents them from refunding. I call them on this lie and he admits he is wrong but refuses to cancel and threatens me.

Apparently they don't think anyone is smart enough to find and read the CFR or know what it means if they do:
https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/46/part-67

I received a couple threating e mails from him and his high priced LA lawyer insisting that I retract my statements or he will take all my property and possessions.

Anyone can call him/herself a lawyer, even create a letterhead or add his name to a real law firm's letterhead with a little creative use of a scanner and just about any word processing software...are you sure his "high priced" LA lawyer really is one?

Since this guy is (allegedly) a marine surveyor, might be worth the effort to find out whether he's accredited by SAMS, NAMS (which, btw, doesn't allow its accredited members to engage in any other marine related business for profit) or any other relevant organization. Whether he is or not, I suspect they'd be very interested in knowing his business practices cuz it's highly unlikely that he's any more ethical as a surveyor.

And finally...have you reached out to the USCG doc center to let them know he's not posting the required disclaimer on his material?
 
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What exactly do you get for your "renewal"?
Seems to be just a money grab. Nothing has changed from your properly documented status of the previous year, so why do you need to renew?
In Canada, my documentation used to be good until I sell or notify the registry that I want to de-register. A few years ago they decided the registration has an expiry date, but so long as I send them back something that indicates the boat still exists, it automatically renews, with no fee.

If you don't register federally under the Canada Shipping Act (for a fee) you can license Provincially, for free. No renewals involved.

We also used to be required to annually renew a license for the VHF radio. About 10 years ago Transport Canada wisely decided that isn't necessary, thus eliminating another fee that wasn't enough to pay for the bureaucracy involved, but was enough to be irritating.
 
John Soria's marine service website

Yes Flywright,

That website is also John Soria's. It even has a link to the uscgdocumentation.us.

He makes a lot of claims about his credentials and his marine business.
 
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