Passport India 2019: Passport Seva Kendra alerts users, advises to stay away from these fake websites.
New Delhi: Obtaining a passport is slightly difficult as compared to the government-issued documents such as a voter ID card, driving license, Aadhaar card, PAN card, etc. Passport, being an international ID card, requires a definite set of due diligence, certain documents and affidavits along with the duly filled passport application form. Earlier, it used to be more difficult to get a passport as the person was mandated to travel to the regional passport office for each and every query or any change with regard to the passport application form.
With the induction of Passport Seva Kendra, people have the ease to fill and submit the passport application form on the unified portal, pay the fees and schedule the appointment. For filling and submitting the passport application form, payment of passport application fees and scheduling of an appointment at the Passport Seva Kendra (PSK), a person is required to visit the official website of PSK.
Following the lack of awareness among the people, several fraudsters have created several unofficial domains in the name of India’s passport office. A number of fake websites have surfaced on the web, which may appear on searching a passport query on the internet.
“It has come to the notice of the Ministry that many fraudulent websites and mobile applications are collecting data from applicants and also levying additional hefty charges for filling up the online application form and scheduling appointment for Passport and related services,” PSK said in a statement.
According to the passport authority, some of the websites that are registered in the domain name .org, .in, .com such as www.indiapassport.org, www.online-passportindia.com, www.passportindiaportal.in, www.passport-india.in, www.passport-seva.in, www.applypassport.org and many other similar looking websites are completely fake.
Passport Seva Kendra has advised all the citizens who are willing to obtain a passport should not visit all the above-mentioned fraudulent websites or make a payment related to passport services. The official website of the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, for applying Passport services is www.passportindia.gov.in. The Passport Seva Kendra mobile application can be downloaded from Android and iOS application stores.
