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08-23-2022, 10:42 AM
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#1
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Guru
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 4,021
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Scam Letter
We got a letter from the "National Documentation Portal" offering to provide our new documentation. The Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2018 (?) is quoted to give the letter an aura of authenticity. Be aware of this scam, shipmates.
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08-23-2022, 10:47 AM
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#2
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Moderator Emeritus
City: Au Gres, MI
Vessel Name: Black Dog
Vessel Model: Formula 41PC
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 21,191
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These have been around for years. Just make sure the website you go to ends with a .gov.
__________________
Boat Nut:
If you are one there is no explanation necessary.
If you aren’t one, there is no explanation possible.
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08-23-2022, 11:54 AM
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#3
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Guru
City: Winthrop
Vessel Model: Pacific Trawler 40
Join Date: Mar 2020
Posts: 878
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I got the same letter. I left a message on pricing and they never got back to me. So that ended that!
__________________
Iggy
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08-24-2022, 01:48 PM
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#4
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TF Site Team
City: Westerly, RI
Vessel Name: N/A
Vessel Model: 1999 Mainship 350 Trawler
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 4,162
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Goodness gracious, this old topic again. It's not a scam, its just a service. One that charges a significant service fee to do what you can do yourself on:
https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Our-Organiz...tation-Center/
Note, it's not ".gov", it's actually '.mil'
__________________
Shrew
/SHro͞o/
noun
1. A small insectivorous mammal resembling a mouse, with a long pointed snout and tiny eyes.
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08-24-2022, 04:14 PM
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#5
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Moderator Emeritus
City: Au Gres, MI
Vessel Name: Black Dog
Vessel Model: Formula 41PC
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 21,191
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Good catch, I meant to type .mil but instead typed .gov.
__________________
Boat Nut:
If you are one there is no explanation necessary.
If you aren’t one, there is no explanation possible.
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08-24-2022, 04:15 PM
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#6
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Guru
City: Bellingham WA
Vessel Name: Hatt Trick
Vessel Model: 45' Hatteras Convertible
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 1,973
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The USCG Documentation Center is in Falling Waters WV. All others are agents looking to charge you a fee for their services. And Shrew is right, the extention is .mil
__________________
Ken on Hatt Trick
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08-24-2022, 05:08 PM
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#7
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Guru
City: Grand Rapids, MI
Vessel Name: Escape
Vessel Model: 1973 Concorde 41 DC
Join Date: Sep 2020
Posts: 782
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dco.uscg.mil to be exact.
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08-26-2022, 08:54 AM
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#8
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TF Site Team
City: Westerly, RI
Vessel Name: N/A
Vessel Model: 1999 Mainship 350 Trawler
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 4,162
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jgwinks
dco.uscg.mil to be exact.
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Yes, just like in Post #4.
__________________
Shrew
/SHro͞o/
noun
1. A small insectivorous mammal resembling a mouse, with a long pointed snout and tiny eyes.
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08-26-2022, 10:34 AM
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#9
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Senior Member
City: Juneau
Vessel Name: Sea Dog
Vessel Model: 1991 DeFever 49 RPH
Join Date: Aug 2021
Posts: 298
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Sure, it’s a service that they charge a fee for. What makes it a scam is that they use an official looking seal and disguise their mailings to look like they come from the government. I’m not sure why anyone would defend that practice.
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08-26-2022, 01:45 PM
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#10
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Guru
City: Longboat Key, FL
Vessel Name: Bucky
Vessel Model: Krogen Manatee 36 North Sea
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 5,196
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SeaDogAK
Sure, it’s a service that they charge a fee for. What makes it a scam is that they use an official looking seal and disguise their mailings to look like they come from the government. I’m not sure why anyone would defend that practice.
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Agree. It’s the official looking documentation that tricks folks into using their service instead of looking for the real site.
__________________
Larry
"When life gets hard, eat marshmallows”.
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08-27-2022, 09:15 AM
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#11
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Guru
City: Tampa, FL
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 672
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SeaDogAK
What makes it a scam is that they use an official looking seal and disguise their mailings to look like they come from the government.
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Exactly. They are very clearly trying to fool people into thinking that they have received an official letter from the government. That makes it 100% a scam! It just confounds me how anyone can defend such a practice.
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08-27-2022, 09:39 AM
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#12
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Guru
City: Stuart FL
Vessel Name: Lucky Lucky
Vessel Model: Pacific Mariner 65
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 2,760
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If you need to submit the same information to them as you would to the CG, I question how it’s a “service.”
__________________
Howard
Lucky Lucky
Stuart, FL
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08-27-2022, 09:45 AM
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#13
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Guru
City: Ft Pierce
Vessel Name: Sold
Vessel Model: Was an Albin/PSN 40
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 28,154
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I don't think many are so much as defending them, more "legal vs illegal" than good versus bad.
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08-27-2022, 10:18 AM
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#14
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Senior Member
City: Juneau
Vessel Name: Sea Dog
Vessel Model: 1991 DeFever 49 RPH
Join Date: Aug 2021
Posts: 298
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In most states there are private DMV outfits that will provide the same services as the government for an extra fee. They might be open evenings and weekends, and their lines are shorter than the official office. It’s a perfectly legitimate service, and they’re not posing as a government office. This is different because of the deception.
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08-27-2022, 10:29 AM
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#15
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Guru
City: Ft Pierce
Vessel Name: Sold
Vessel Model: Was an Albin/PSN 40
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 28,154
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SeaDogAK
In most states there are private DMV outfits that will provide the same services as the government for an extra fee. They might be open evenings and weekends, and their lines are shorter than the official office. It’s a perfectly legitimate service, and they’re not posing as a government office. This is different because of the deception.
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OK, exactly what I was saying.
If it were illegal, I am sure they wouldnt be around as long as they have been despite the concern of deception.
Again, not arguing good vs evil....and certainly not defending them.
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08-27-2022, 02:53 PM
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#16
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Senior Member
City: Juneau
Vessel Name: Sea Dog
Vessel Model: 1991 DeFever 49 RPH
Join Date: Aug 2021
Posts: 298
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I didn’t say it was illegal, I said it was a scam.
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08-27-2022, 02:59 PM
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#17
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Moderator Emeritus
City: Au Gres, MI
Vessel Name: Black Dog
Vessel Model: Formula 41PC
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 21,191
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Scams are usually illegal. This may not be ethical but it isn’t illegal apparently.
__________________
Boat Nut:
If you are one there is no explanation necessary.
If you aren’t one, there is no explanation possible.
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08-27-2022, 03:27 PM
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#18
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Guru
City: Grand Rapids, MI
Vessel Name: Escape
Vessel Model: 1973 Concorde 41 DC
Join Date: Sep 2020
Posts: 782
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There are cases where a documentation service would be helpful, maybe even essential. Adding commercial endorsements or first time documenting an old boat with multiple prior owners not all of whom are still living for example. But I'd bet these "imposter" outfits couldn't/wouldn't do those. There's nothing wrong with charging for a service that your customer can't do himself, but a straight renewal is so simple it's probably quicker and easier to do it direct with the CG than the "service". In my mind, that's not service.
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08-27-2022, 06:09 PM
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#19
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Moderator Emeritus
City: Au Gres, MI
Vessel Name: Black Dog
Vessel Model: Formula 41PC
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 21,191
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jgwinks
There are cases where a documentation service would be helpful, maybe even essential. Adding commercial endorsements or first time documenting an old boat with multiple prior owners not all of whom are still living for example. But I'd bet these "imposter" outfits couldn't/wouldn't do those. There's nothing wrong with charging for a service that your customer can't do himself, but a straight renewal is so simple it's probably quicker and easier to do it direct with the CG than the "service". In my mind, that's not service.
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This isn’t a documentation service. Documentation services provide some much needed and sometimes required services. When you get a loan on a documented boat the lender will likely require you to use a documentation service so they are assured of a proper lien on the boat.
The service in question is just for renewal of the documentation. Something that is really simple and easy to do online with the CG. And waaay cheaper too.
__________________
Boat Nut:
If you are one there is no explanation necessary.
If you aren’t one, there is no explanation possible.
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08-27-2022, 06:17 PM
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#20
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Guru
City: Grand Rapids, MI
Vessel Name: Escape
Vessel Model: 1973 Concorde 41 DC
Join Date: Sep 2020
Posts: 782
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Exactly what I meant. If they are harder and more expensive than doing it yourself it's not "service". And I wonder if they're even capable of doing the harder stuff.
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