While applying for my passport, I got an email from Passport-Assist. Thinking it was from the government and I was paying for my passport documents, I agreed to pay $162.88 to this company. My bank texted me to ask if it was a legitimate transaction, and I (thinking it was) told them it was not fraud. When I appeared for my passport appointment, I was charged $150 + fees. I told them I already paid and showed them my bank statement with the proof. I was told it was not the government that I paid and this service I did pay is only for the company to provide me with a copy of my application. How did this company get my information? Is the US government providing it to this vendor? It was a misdirection. My bank is looking into it, but apparently, according to the clerk who filed my passport application, this happens a lot to people who think they are paying for their passport but are erroneously paying a third party service the amount of what a passport costs plus fees for a piece of paper. They also now have my personal information and my money. This is a scam.