Fake Documentation notice

[ProMaritime]

Yes, this is "sucker mail" and not the official site. They will charge you way more than working directly with the National Vessel registration people at the USCG who will also send you a reminder but only about 30 days before the due date.

These fakers send them out way early hoping to trap you well before you get the official renewal notice. Look for the "dot MIL" at the end of all web addresses for the real Coasties.

 

[AKDoug]

I agree they are thieves! Their web site is carefully crafted to resemble the official seal/emblem and you have to hunt to find the disclaimer. Also if you do a web search for "vessel documentation" their site is the first one to come up... That's not an accident!

 

[Leo Reise]

This topic comes up very often, usually when someone receives a notice from a 3rd party to renew. Yes, the paper looks very much like a USA government agency. It is offering a service that you can do yourself.
A newbie posted a question asking how the company got the information - it is public knowledge.
There are reasons a vessel is documented, not the least of which is the ability to travel in international waters, or if financing is involved. Documented vessels do not have to display state numbers (although, depending on the state, may still need to continue to maintain your state number).
One interesting note, duplicate names are allowed under US documentation. Not so in other countries.

 

[Rich wilmer]

Its not fake

The documentary service isnt fake its a 3ed party service you can use them for an extra price or not i like it cause it reminds me to renew so i go to the govt site!

 

[Comodave]

This topic comes up very often, usually when someone receives a notice from a 3rd party to renew. Yes, the paper looks very much like a USA government agency. It is offering a service that you can do yourself.
A newbie posted a question asking how the company got the information - it is public knowledge.
There are reasons a vessel is documented, not the least of which is the ability to travel in international waters, or if financing is involved. Documented vessels do not have to display state numbers (although, depending on the state, may still need to continue to maintain your state number).
One interesting note, duplicate names are allowed under US documentation. Not so in other countries.

+1.

 

[david404k]

Being free market does not exempt them from being a ripoff. Capitalism is wonderful untill the free market bites you in the nuts.

 

[ProMaritime]

Sure the Sucker Mail guys document renewals will get er done...for three times the price and a longer wait.

They save up batches of renewals on their proprietary forms and batch feed them to the USCG with the total payment for what would have been the sum of the amount charged by USCG for the individual services. Ya think that this might cause delays?

One responder here says his boat broker recommend a free renewal service which worked fine. Do you think the broker maybe kicks back to the free service guy and/or the free service guy kicks back to the broker?

 

[ProMaritime]

Thanks David but the non-free market, i.e. the US IRS has bitten off both of my nuts years ago. Get real dude.

There are damn few government agencies that give the American public its tax dollars' worth of service. The US Coast Guard is one of them.

 

[av8tr]

Maybe not fake, but very deceiving. “Vessel Documentation Portal” and “USCG Documentation Registration Expiration Notice” titled such to create a rush to renew when my registration wasn’t due for four months, I see it as deceitful playing on the lack of knowledge of who knows how many boat owners. Just my $.02…

Kwerges, your $.02 is worth a lot. That people can't see the deceit in this "service approach" is priceless!

 

[psneeld]

Thanks David but the non-free market, i.e. the US IRS has bitten off both of my nuts years ago. Get real dude.

There are damn few government agencies that give the American public its tax dollars' worth of service. The US Coast Guard is one of them.

I will remind them they are over paid do nothings if they are ever sent out to assist you.

Opposed to the private business that many here are thinking are borderline criminals.

Care to let us in on the humankind enrichment profession you are in?

 

[jimfrens]

One interesting note, duplicate names are allowed under US documentation. Not so in other countries.

Speaking of duplicate names, have you noticed the company advertising in the BoatUS magazine for a ‘boat name registry’? This company pretends to guarantee that if you register your boat’s name with them, no one else can use the name. Which of course they cannot guarantee. Total BS, and I wrote to BoatUS about it. Never got an answer. I guess they’d rather have the ad revenue.

 

[JRO]

It’s name and port… Like a license plate.

 

[jimfrens]

Name alone or Name and Port, they can only guarantee that another member doesn’t have the same Name / Port. They can’t guarantee that another boat owner won’t use the same name. A service of very dubious value, also using an official looking logo.

 

[JRO]

All they are doing is checking the registry to see if what you want is taken or not. You can do the same from your computer. It’s public information for documented vessels.

 

[SteveK]

Interesting topic.

For those that buy a boat and the broker insisted you use one of these outfits, it sounded like you were aware they charged more than you would pay doing it direct.

Simple solution, say to the broker, I will pay what it will cost my way and you pay the difference. With the commissions they make a few hundred to close the deal, what do you think they will reply, deal cancelled.

 

[ksanders]

I have no heartburn at all over a third party service and heck, I'm a capitalist, charge fourteen times the real cost if you can get it. Free market. What bugs me (and others) is that they make themselves look official with a seal and name and web address that looks like www.nvdcvesselrenewal.us (or similar). One of the sites (I won't link it here lest I advertise for them) only discloses they're not a gov't agency if you click the little "disclaimer" link at the bottom of the page, and the site even offers links to the military and other federal operations to reinforce the impression they're official. It's not the service that's bothersome, it's the phony packaging.

If these services were titled "Joe's Boat Documentation Service" and didn't package themselves like a gov't agency, we'd never have these threads.

That is the only problem. They attempt to impersonate the USCG site.

 

[Chuck34]

I've bought two boats this year. The first one, I did the documentation myself as it was already documented and just needed a change of owner on the certificate. Easy, apart from USCG being six months behind in their paperwork. Cost was $425.

$425? I’ve done 3 myself through the real CG doc office and they were all around $100.
$425 sounds like you used a private doc service.

 

[psneeld]

I will remind them they are over paid do nothings if they are ever sent out to assist you.

Opposed to the private business that many here are thinking are borderline criminals.

Care to let us in on the humankind enrichment profession you are in?

My apologies... I think I intepreted the post I was referring to backwards.

 

[Knot Salted]

Got my fake USCG renewal notice today.

I know there will be some on the forum that will say it's a legit service using a 3rd party vendor. I don't buy it. I also sent them a letter requesting they remove my address.

Go to the "official" USCG online site:

https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Our-Organi...s-DCO-D/National-Vessel-Documentation-Center/View attachment 124584

Me too.
Those jokers make it look good.
uscg.mil is the only place to go, or you’ll give up hundreds in the process.
If they were legit, they would state that they are not the uscg right up front.

 

[Knot Salted]

For sure.
uscg will never charge that much for documentation, tardy or on time.

 

[Knot Salted]

It was done to me by Skipper Buds 2015 in sandusky OH at purchase of Knot Salted before I knew better.

 

[Chuck34]

Which are you not buying? That they are a 3rd party company offering a service? OR that 3rd party companies aren't legitimate businesses?

If the latter, do you have examples where someone paid them and didn't get their vessel documented?

I agree you can just as easily go directly to the Coast Guard. Nothing on that doc looks like it's trying to trick you.

Have you looked at the website the letter sends you to?

 

[Knot Salted]

uscoastguard vessel documentation…..dotscam

 

[ufish2]

Tom, well they got to my wife. It is a scam because they are using USCG similar emblems to make them appear official. No one bothers to review the small print which states you cannot receive a refund. They charge $75/year that requires $26/year on the USCG website. It's a shame worthless scum are able to deceive those unfamiliar with routine Coast Guard vessel renewal.

 

[Zoar]

I am glad for this thread.

This appearance of being "the" official documentation channel does need to be exposed and the actual official channel readily identified.

 

[slowgoesit]

Just make the check out to the "National Vessel Documentation Center". If it's not the NVDC, and they cash/deposit the check, they're fraudulently cashing/depositing a check . . . . Happened to a friend of mine. When he asked them, in writing, what authority they had to deposit a check made out to a US Federal Agency, they refunded his entire amount immediately! And since they HAD processed the renewal through the legitimate NVDC, he got his 5 year renewal for FREE!
Gotta love it when a plan comes together!

 

[Chuck34]

Never hurts to keep these documentation scam threads alive and at the top of the page.

 

[Chuck34]

Just got a “Final Notice” from one of the scammers. They are still telling boaters that documentation is for 5 years only. I guess they are doing everything possible to maximize revenue.

 

[Seevee]

The Brookers will always insist to a professional ($425 - $750) to make sure that the boat is transferred to your name for lability (I guess). I believe the issue here is the renewal that you can do yourself directly on the Coast Guard website or to have some else do it for you for a price.

I could make a strong argument (for liability) to NOT put the boat title in your name, and don't hold title to ANY toy, especially ones that move, in your own name. Use an LLC, Corp, or trust. MUCH safer.