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Old 08-23-2022, 10:42 AM   #1
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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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Old 08-23-2022, 10:47 AM   #2
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These have been around for years. Just make sure the website you go to ends with a .gov.
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Old 08-23-2022, 11:54 AM   #3
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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!
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Old 08-24-2022, 01:48 PM   #4
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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'
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Old 08-24-2022, 04:14 PM   #5
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Good catch, I meant to type .mil but instead typed .gov.
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Old 08-24-2022, 04:15 PM   #6
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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
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Old 08-24-2022, 05:08 PM   #7
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dco.uscg.mil to be exact.
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Old 08-26-2022, 08:54 AM   #8
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dco.uscg.mil to be exact.
Yes, just like in Post #4.
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Old 08-26-2022, 10:34 AM   #9
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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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Old 08-26-2022, 01:45 PM   #10
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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.
Agree. It’s the official looking documentation that tricks folks into using their service instead of looking for the real site.
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Old 08-27-2022, 09:15 AM   #11
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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.
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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Old 08-27-2022, 09:39 AM   #12
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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.”
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Old 08-27-2022, 09:45 AM   #13
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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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Old 08-27-2022, 10:18 AM   #14
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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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Old 08-27-2022, 10:29 AM   #15
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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.
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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Old 08-27-2022, 02:53 PM   #16
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I didn’t say it was illegal, I said it was a scam.
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Old 08-27-2022, 02:59 PM   #17
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Scams are usually illegal. This may not be ethical but it isn’t illegal apparently.
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Old 08-27-2022, 03:27 PM   #18
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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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Old 08-27-2022, 06:09 PM   #19
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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.
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.
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Old 08-27-2022, 06:17 PM   #20
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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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