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Home / Guides / Government Impersonation / Passport Renewal Scam UK: Spot a Fake HMPO Message
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Passport Renewal Scam UK: Spot a Fake HMPO Message

Passport renewal payments and tracking should be checked through gov.uk, not a link in an unexpected message.

· · · 5 min read

Quick answer: A text or email saying your passport application is on hold pending an extra fee is a scam or an overpriced middleman — check your own application through gov.uk, typing the address yourself. Never pay through a message link; forward scam texts to 7726 and report losses to Report Fraud or Police Scotland on 101.
Key rule: verify through an official route you opened yourself, not the link, number, app, or payment details supplied by the suspicious message.
On this page
  1. What a fake HMPO contact looks like
  2. Why these messages are convincing
  3. Signs a passport contact is a scam
  4. How the scam works step by step
  5. How to check a passport contact is genuine
  6. If you've already paid or shared details
  7. How to report a passport renewal scam (UK)

What a fake HMPO contact looks like

This scam is a text, email, or copycat website claiming to be about your UK passport application or renewal. An example of the style is: Your passport application is on hold. An additional processing fee is required to release your documents — pay now to avoid delay. The message usually creates urgency around a genuine worry: needing your passport for an upcoming trip.

The genuine UK passport service is applied for and managed through gov.uk. If a message asks for an extra fee by link, verify it through your own gov.uk application or the Passport Adviceline details published on gov.uk before paying.

Why these messages are convincing

Genuine passport fees do exist and do vary — there's a standard renewal fee, and separate paid Premium and Fast Track services for people who need their passport quickly — so a message mentioning a fee doesn't sound unusual on its own. Anyone renewing close to a trip is also primed to act fast rather than check carefully, which is exactly the pressure the scam relies on.

Signs a passport contact is a scam

  • You're contacted about a fee or problem out of the blue, rather than checking your own application status yourself.
  • You're asked to pay via a link in a text or email, rather than through gov.uk directly.
  • The message pressures you to act immediately or risk missing your trip.
  • A website charges well above the standard gov.uk fee while implying it is the official fee, with no clear statement that it's an unaffiliated third-party service.
  • You're asked for more personal or financial detail than a passport renewal genuinely requires. The same copycat-fee pattern appears around tax deadlines; our HMRC Self Assessment scam guide covers those.

How the scam works step by step

First, a text, email, or search ad claims there's an urgent issue with your passport application or offers to handle your renewal for you. Second, you're directed to pay a fee — sometimes on a lookalike page, sometimes to a legal-but-unofficial middleman site charging a large markup on the real gov.uk fee. Third, if it's a phishing page rather than a paid middleman, your card and personal details are captured directly. Either way, you can end up paying far more than the genuine cost, or having your details exposed, for a service gov.uk provides directly.

How to check a passport contact is genuine

Apply for or renew a passport only through gov.uk — type the address yourself rather than following a link or search ad.

  • Track a genuine application using the official tracking service on gov.uk, with the reference from your own confirmation — not a reference someone else gives you.
  • As of writing, the standard adult passport fee is £102 online or £115.50 by paper form, with paid Premium (1-day) and Fast Track (1-week) services also available for renewals — check gov.uk/passport-fees for the current figure, as fees do change.
  • A fee-charging third-party passport site is not automatically fraudulent, but it is not HM Passport Office and may cost more than applying directly — and a site that misleads people about its identity or official status should be treated as suspect. Don't confuse such sites with the Post Office's official Check and Send service, an in-branch assisted option that currently costs £16 on top of the passport application fee (plus photo costs for paper applications).
  • For account queries, use the Passport Adviceline number published on gov.uk — never a number given to you in a suspicious message.

If you've already paid or shared details

If you paid a suspicious site or link by card, contact your bank or card provider about a chargeback or, where a credit-card purchase qualifies, a Section 75 claim. Stop any further contact with whoever asked for the payment. If you shared passport, ID, or bank details more widely than a genuine application requires, monitor your accounts and credit file, and consider Cifas Protective Registration, which costs £30 for two years (cifas.org.uk/pr).

How to report a passport renewal scam (UK)

If the contact arrived by text, forward it to 7726; if by email, forward it to report@phishing.gov.uk. If you've lost money or shared sensitive information, report it to Report Fraud at reportfraud.police.uk or 0300 123 2040 if you are in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland. In Scotland, report to Police Scotland on 101.

Frequently asked questions

Is HM Passport Office contacting me directly, or is this always a scam?

HMPO's genuine online process runs through gov.uk. Do not trust an unsolicited link or phone number; check the status using your own application reference on gov.uk or the Passport Adviceline details published there.

Are third-party passport-renewal websites illegal?

Not necessarily. Some are commercial middlemen rather than HM Passport Office, but a third-party fee does not prove a site is legitimate — a site that misleads you about its identity or official status should be treated as suspect. Apply directly at GOV.UK unless you deliberately want a paid service. The Post Office's official Check and Send is a separate in-branch service.

I already paid a fee to what I now think is a scam — what do I do?

Contact your bank or card provider about a chargeback or, where eligible on a credit-card purchase of more than £100 and up to £30,000, a Section 75 claim. Stop all further contact with whoever asked for the payment, and report it.

How much does a genuine passport renewal actually cost?

As of writing, the standard adult renewal is £102 online or £115.50 by paper form, with optional paid Premium (1-day) and Fast Track (1-week) services. Fees change over time, so check gov.uk/passport-fees for the current amount before paying anything.

How do I report a passport scam message?

Forward a scam text to 7726 or a scam email to report@phishing.gov.uk. If you've lost money or shared sensitive details, report it to Report Fraud at reportfraud.police.uk or 0300 123 2040 (Police Scotland on 101 in Scotland).

Sources checked

Think you’ve spotted a scam? Use the AI scam checker for an automated second opinion, or report it to Report Fraud for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, or Police Scotland on 101 for Scotland.

Reporting routes in this guide are checked against our verified canon of official UK sources — Report Fraud for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, or Police Scotland on 101 for Scotland, the National Cyber Security Centre, and the consumer service for each nation — by an automated accuracy gate before publication. Editorially updated by , Founder & Editor, on 2026-08-06. Read about how Beat the Scam writes guides.

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