Is this Social Security card site legit?

Only ssa.gov. Replacing a Social Security card is free — the Social Security Administration names companies charging for it on its fraud page as a Section 1140 violation, along with fees for Social Security Statements and a newborn's SSN.

How do I know a government website is real?

Two checks end it: the address ends in .gov — a federal or state government site always does — and no fee appears for a free service. A search ad above the real agency is the lookalike's favorite slot.

Where do I get a birth certificate online?

From the county clerk or the state health department — never a “vital records” lookalike charging “processing” or “expediting” fees. Indiana's BMV flags one named site as “NOT affiliated with the Indiana BMV or any other State agencies in any way.”

Scam verdict · Educational pattern check

Scam Detective research desk · Updated October 2026

Real one is free — .gov

Is This Government Website Legit? The Real One Is Free — and Its Address Ends in .gov

Two checks end it: the address ends in .gov, and no fee appears for a free service. Replacing a Social Security card is free at ssa.gov, USCIS forms are free, vital records come from the county clerk or state health department, and license renewals from the state agency's own portal — never from a search ad. The Social Security Administration names the lookalike model on its fraud page: companies charging for services available free from the agency violate Section 1140 of the Social Security Act.

Educational verdict from documented scam patterns — not a live report. For a 0–100 risk score on the exact link in your hand, run the checker.

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Straight from the source

The verdict stands on the public record — the line below is quoted verbatim from the source named under it.

“Companies offering our services for a fee, even though the same services are available directly from us free of charge.”

— Social Security Administration, “Fraud Prevention and Reporting,” listing violations of Section 1140 of the Social Security Act.

Why this question never goes away

The business model is legal-ish and ancient: rank an official-looking site above the real agency, then charge a “processing fee” for something the government gives away. The Social Security Administration names it on its fraud page — companies selling corrected or replacement Social Security cards, Social Security Statements, or a newborn's SSN, all free from the agency — and notes the darker twin: privately owned websites using misleading domain names to look like the official site and harvest personal information. State agencies keep the same list for their own services. Indiana's Bureau of Motor Vehicles publishes its lookalikes by name — DMV.org, DMV.com, lookalike state domains — and flags “Zertifica, also known as Vital Records,” a site selling birth, marriage, divorce, and death certificates that is “NOT affiliated with the Indiana BMV or any other State agencies in any way.” The defense is two seconds: federal and state sites end in .gov, and a fee for a free service is the whole verdict.

Five red flags — any one is enough

A fee for a replacement Social Security card, a Social Security Statement, or a newborn's SSN — all free from SSA; charging is a Section 1140 violation.

The address doesn't end in .gov — a federal or state government site always does; the lookalike can't.

A search ad above the real agency — lookalikes buy the top slot precisely because you were looking for the government.

“Processing” or “expediting” fees for vital records — the county clerk or state health department sells the same document directly.

A form that asks for your SSN, birth data, or license number on a non-.gov site — Indiana's BMV warns these sites may contain malicious content, not just markup.

Your next three moves

Verify through a channel you open yourself — type the agency's .gov address yourself: replace a Social Security card free at ssa.gov, renew a license at your state agency's own portal (Indiana's is IN.gov/mybmv), and order birth, marriage, divorce, or death certificates from the county clerk or state health department — never through a search ad, which lookalikes buy precisely because you were looking for the government.

Refuse the specific ask: no “processing” or “expediting” fee for something the government provides free — a replacement Social Security card, a Social Security Statement, a newborn's SSN — and no SSN, birth data, or license number typed into a form on a non-.gov site; Indiana's BMV warns those sites may contain malicious content, not just markup.

Report the lookalike to the SSA's Office of the Inspector General at oig.ssa.gov or 1-800-269-0271 and to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov — screenshot the site with its URL first, per the SSA's evidence guidance — and check any link via the $2 instant check for a 0–100 scam risk score before you pay.

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