Question: Please alert senior citizens applying for a replacement Social Security card or renewing their passport online to be sure to scroll down to official government websites and not on fraudulent sites listed first. I chose the first one listed to apply for a replacement Social Security card and to renew a passport. The supposed Social Security site charged me $49 to replace a card. After filling in the online documents, I was instructed to mail payment receipt and documents to the Honolulu Social Security office, which I did. A couple days later, I received a call from the local office saying that the site I went on was not connected with Social Security and that it doesn’t cost anything to replace a card. When I asked why those sites are available, I was told they can’t do anything about them and advised to alert the Federal Trade Commission and the Better Business Bureau. The passport site is the same. It’s better to go to the post office, get an application and mail it in with your check.

Answer: Your experience again allows us to remind people to be cautious when visiting and doing business on any website.

Look for the .gov suffix when searching for federal, state or county government websites, such as ssa.gov for the Social Security Administration and travel.state.gov for the U.S. Department of State.

Use of the term "fraudulent" is not fair if websites offering services to replace Social Security cards or expediting passport renewals disclose upfront that they are not affiliated with the government agency.

We did an online search for both and found the websites that popped up first all had disclaimers saying the site was not affiliated with or endorsed by Social Security, the State Department or any government agency.

ExpressFilings, for example, disclosed that Social Security allows you to replace or update its cards at no charge and that it is "a private, paid service which aims to simplify the process by providing you with detailed instructions on how to complete and where to submit the necessary government forms … "

"Such companies offer Social Security services for a fee, even though the same services are available directly from Social Security free of charge," said spokeswoman Jane Yamamoto-Burigsay.

"Especially upsetting are such ads that make it appear as though the ad has come directly from Social Security," she added. "By law, such advertisements must indicate that the company is not affiliated with Social Security."

On its website, the State Department says misleading websites "are designed to appear official, and often have images of the U.S. flag, U.S. Capitol, White House, or Statue of Liberty. What these websites and emails are missing is the ‘.gov’ suffix on their addresses. Remember that anything that does not end with ‘.gov’ should be considered suspect."

Reporting Fraud

If anyone sees misleading advertising for Social Security services from a company that does not admit it is not affiliated with Social Security, contact federal and state officials, Yamamoto-Burigsay said.

This appears to be a problem with direct mailings, so you are advised to send the complete mailing, including envelope, to: Office of the

Inspector General, Fraud Hotline, Social Security Administration, P.O. Box 17768, Baltimore, MD 21235.

You are also advised to contact the state attorney general or consumer affairs office and the Better Business Bureau.

The State Department advises filing complaints about Internet fraud by going to econsumer.gov, a joint effort of consumer protection agencies from 17 nations, hosted by the Federal Trade Commission.

Mahalo

To two good Samaritans from Energy Systems who stopped and took their time to assist my husband with his 1934 Chevy Vicky, which was stalled on Merchant Street. They prevented a traffic tie-up and calmed our frayed nerves! — Grateful Lou and Marsha

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