uscg documentation

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Shrew

It's not a 'Scam'. It's just a service. Like anything in the world....you either do it yourself, or pay someone to do it. There is no scam here. Businesses are entitled to charge what they want for goods and services. It is your choice to engage in a business exchange of cash for services.......or not.



It's their fault that they are charging for a service and you chose not to do your own due diligence?



None of these sites are in the .gov Top-Level Domain. Don't blame them if you lack situational awareness.

However, there is certainly a sleazy aspect to it. They make an effort to make it look like official government communication.

[redneckrob]

Originally Posted by Starfish 2018

I just went through the USCG site and updated my documentation. At the end I wanted to renew for multiple years, however, the site did not allow me to pay for multiple years. I sent them an email stating that. They just responded that I went through a third party to renew. I sent them the links I took through USCG and DHS website. Waiting their response. I believe we are being lied to by USCG that they have given the renewal process to the third party without letting us know. I am incredulous at this level of deception on the part of the USCG.

Ed

I believe you're being lied to by whoever has convinced you that everyone in the gub'nt must be lying. These are hard working, scrupulously honest folks at the Coast Guard documentation center that you're slandering here based on zero evidence. Many who I know personally and consider friends. You sir, are the one who is flat out, unequivocally wrong. Sorry, but I'm tired of people attacking those serving their country like this based on complete and utter falsehoods, and never apologizing or even admitting to themselves that they're slandering good people based on nothing more than a faulty worldview. That's unacceptable in civil society, what's gotten into people to think this is remotely OK?

How about you refrain from slandering my friends in public without evidence, and the rest of us will just keep on like we always have and refrain from slandering anyone, your friends included, without evidence? Sound reasonable Ed?

[shrspeedblade]

I just went through this process transferring an already documented vessel.

Took about 2 months to get it finalized. Went ahead and did the 5 year renewal voluntarily as I despise paperwork!

I was lucky the harbormaster at my marina warned me about being careful, so I made sure I was at the official Coast Guard website. It's too bad they don't clamp down and make sure any 3rd party service has to make clear that IT IS a 3rd party service.

[letsgetsailing3]

Originally Posted by Shrew

It's not a 'Scam'. It's just a service. Like anything in the world....you either do it yourself, or pay someone to do it. There is no scam here. Businesses are entitled to charge what they want for goods and services. It is your choice to engage in a business exchange of cash for services.......or not.

It's their fault that they are charging for a service and you chose not to do your own due diligence?

None of these sites are in the .gov Top-Level Domain. Don't blame them if you lack situational awareness.

Actually, it is a scam, it's just not illegal. They're not actually performing a service, as they're acting as a middleman. You fill in their paperwork with the exact information you would need to fill in on the government forms.

There are similar "services" for filing business paperwork in Florida. They charge a couple of hundred dollars to fill in your paperwork, while trying to fool you into thinking they're the government agency.

They send renewal paperwork and hope you respond to theirs instead of the actual government paperwork, for a price.

You wonder how many people fall for it. Would be easy to do. Their names are very official-sounding, but they're not the actual government agency, and there will be some statement somewhere that says this.

[CaptTom]

Originally Posted by letsgetsailing3

They send renewal paperwork and hope you respond to theirs instead of the actual government paperwork, for a price.

Interesting that it's not just boaters being targeted. I wonder what other fields have this type of scammer activity.

Your post reminded me of one more aspect of the scam. You're giving a scammer all your contact information, credit card information, and information about your boat. You're also confirming that you are susceptible to being scammed.

That information must be worth quite a bit on the dark net. Since these operators are sleazy by definition, it's not too far-fetched to imagine them selling your information to other scammers.

Here's another angle: As a kid I had a job pumping gas in a wealthy community. Our gas was much more expensive than anywhere else around. We were always busy. Customers in this town just loved to prove to the world that they could spend more than their neighbors. Sadly, there are boaters like this, too. They like to tell everyone how they have "people" to do menial tasks like renewing their registration for them. With those boaters, I'm actually rooting for the scammers.

(PS: That last paragraph is not about anyone on this forum, just an observation from around the docks.)

[Bobby Lex]

The "scam" isn't the service. There are a billion things that we pay others to do for us, that we could easily do for free ourselves if we chose to....

The "scam" is the intentional (IMO) attempt to deceive and mislead the user into thinking they are dealing directly with the USCG.

But it's not a unique situation. Google anything out there and chances are the first several hits you get will be some other sites that sell the same product or service. They're hoping you click on the first thing that comes up, mistakenly thinking it's the one you Googled.

It's still a "Buyer-Beware" world out there. It's still our responsibility to look out after our own best interests and well-being. It's a bit naive to react with outrage when we see something like this happening.

Bob

[wyb2]

Originally Posted by Shrew

It's not a 'Scam'. It's just a service. Like anything in the world....you either do it yourself, or pay someone to do it. There is no scam here. Businesses are entitled to charge what they want for goods and services. It is your choice to engage in a business exchange of cash for services.......or not.

It's their fault that they are charging for a service and you chose not to do your own due diligence?

None of these sites are in the .gov Top-Level Domain. Don't blame them if you lack situational awareness.

Since you are making the same argument as you did almost a year ago, I will paste the same reply:

Originally Posted by wyb2

Just because something doesn’t fit the dictionary definition of a scam doesn’t mean there is no deception going on. If a large portion of your customers end up feeling deceived, it means you are making money by deceiving people. It’s really that simple.

Most actual scams can be pretty easily spotted too if you know what to look for and are “paying attention to details.” The fact that these scams take place is still the scammer’s fault, not the victim’s.

For the sake of adding something new, Merriam-Webster defines a scam as “ : a fraudulent or deceptive act or operation” (emphasis mine). Since they are obviously deceiving people into thinking they are some sort of official USCG affiliated service, it actually does fit the dictionary definition of a scam.

[glanrock]

I got that letter someone posted above in the snail mail a couple weeks ago. It looked so much like USCG official mail it made me wonder if I had missed something. Luckily I did remember it seemed too early for expiration on that document so I got myself to the real site and checked it out. The URL on the mailed notification sent up a red-flag to me right away. Not only is it fitting the very definition of SCAM they are trying to get you nice and early, months before you actually need it to be done. They know full well that doing it that early will actually change your next expiration date to be even earlier, so they can try to get you again.

They are SCAM services! Beware!

[EnduranceDC]

Have you simply tried calling the USCG National Vessel Documentation Center with your questions? I just got my certification two days ago.

I had questions and called. The woman who took my call was phenomenal — to the point where she gave me her email address, extension, etc. Then she returned calls when she didn't have immediate answers. She encouraged me to stay in touch with her as my application went through the process (slowed by COVID, of course), which I did. It turned out to be a great experience. I couldn't thank her enough.

Oh, and the fee structure was clarified.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by EnduranceDC

Have you simply tried calling the USCG National Vessel Documentation Center with your questions? I just got my certification two days ago.

I had questions and called. The woman who took my call was phenomenal — to the point where she gave me her email address, extension, etc. Then she returned calls when she didn't have immediate answers. She encouraged me to stay in touch with her as my application went through the process (slowed by COVID, of course), which I did. It turned out to be a great experience. I couldn't thank her enough.

Oh, and the fee structure was clarified.

Ive always found the NVDC to be helpful and a pleasure to work with. I just contacted them with a qst recently.

[Milfordadkins]

hey can you give me her number to call that way i can for sure be contacting correct people ? milfordadkins@gmail.com

[Chuck34]

Originally Posted by Milfordadkins

hey can you give me her number to call that way i can for sure be contacting correct people ? milfordadkins@gmail.com

Just google National Vessel Document Center or NVDC. Just make sure whatever website you pull up ends in dot mil (.mil)
If it ends in .com .us .org or anything except .mil You are on a private website, not the real Coast Guard document office website.

[glanrock]

https://www.dco.uscg.mil

This is the true website. Then you navigate to NVDC, the long form link (as of today because they can change):

https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Our-Organiz...tation-Center/

[Chuck34]

Originally Posted by Milfordadkins

hey can you give me her number to call that way i can for sure be contacting correct people ? milfordadkins@gmail.com

800-799-8362

email.. nvdc.pdf.filing@uscg.mil

[davil]

TIP

if you like to renew for more than a year, the website (make sure you are in the REAL USCG), more likely will not give you the updated correct form.

Instead of filling the form online, ask for the form to be mailed to you.

Once you have the paper form, fill the blanks and more likely is an older form with no options for multiple years, no sweat, write a check for how many years you renew and on the form write you are requesting renewal for XX years, circle to make the text to emphasize the obvious and mail it.

Happy end, you get in the mail your spanking new renewed certificate!!!