DocW

Scammers are buying google keywords for "ESTA" (the pre-authorization for visa waiver program to travel to the USA) so their fake sites come up on Google. They then try and charge a registration fee, when in fact registration is free. An example site is http://www.esta.us/

There is a site explaining how it works here, http://www.estascams.com, looks like it's being run out of Korea.

Obviously FTers being the sceptical and intelligent folk they are would never fall for this. But your friends and family just might, mine just did

ThatT1Feeling

Well it was only my scepticism which stopped me a couple of weeks ago - I couldn't believe there would be a fee.. these sites look professional so I wouldn't be surprised if some are taken in.

Also, apparently they're not worth doing at the moment. They're not yet necessary despite what is said and written about them. You also still need to fill in the green visa waiver form onboard, whether you have completed an ESTA or not.

Markie

A collegue, despite having to approval to travel was detained and question for 5 hours on his way out through Miami and 7 hours on the way back. UK National.

frankvb

I would not advise anyone to skip applying for ESTA. Before you know it you can be returned to wherever you came from.... The promise was that the I-94W will eventually disappear, but I am also sceptical about when that happens. I don't care that much, as I need an I-94 (and no ESTA ).

Kiwi Flyer

If you need ESTA I wouldn't recommend not having one for flights to USA. Airlines deny pax w/o ESTA or visa. Yes it is annoying to fill in much the same info onboard on the visa waiver form.

dmahon

I've recently submitted an ESTA and been to the states. I recall it being OK for a few years, but do I have to resubmit anything as I will obviously have a different address to stay at when I go again to a different city in a few weeks.

Teece

If you retain the reference number you obtain, you can edit the existing approved application and change the address any time during the validity period.

KenJohn

Approval to travel means nothing.

In fact, thinking about it, if the US really want to detain you, they need you to be in the US. So its pointless rejecting your ESTA in the first place. They need the suspect to arrive on US soil first. How are they going to arrest you after all. Think Venus fly-trap here.

Its been repeated many times here.
MIA immigration is particularly bad for detention and question.
I suspect most of the time was spent waiting to see the immigration officer rather than actually being questioned.

I refuse to enter via MIA any more.

trickster

Address details are not mandatory fields on the ESTA, unlike for the the API.

Having two trips to the US this year (one now completed), I didn't bother with the address fields on the ESTA form - didn't cause an issues.

fife

Although... it seems the US only has to whisper "extradition" and the UK/EU will jump to it :-(

jimscott231

I've paid for ESTA unnecessarily. I was scammed! The person behind all of these ESTA Scams is a Korean guy called Dongsan Lee. I paid $45 to this website: www.estauk.com

Here is the scammer contact information: http://www.networksolutions.com/whoi...ch/paygate.net

DongSan, Lee (also calls himself Mountie Lee)
[email protected]
SungNaeDong 440
KangDongGu Seoul, NA 134-030,
KR
Phone: +82 2 473 9848
Fax: +82 2 473 9847

I paid $45 for nothing. This is a total ripoff. You should go to the official US government site, not to this Korean scam.

If you are a victim of this scam, you should do the following:

1. Dispute the charge with your credit card company (PAYGATE.NET KOREAN will show on your credit card statement).

2. Report Mr. Lee to the Better Business Bureau, the FTC (Federal Trade Comission), the U.S. State Department and to the Korean Embassy in your country.

3. File a police report in your home town

Make sure you don’t let this guy steal more money from unsuspecting travelers.

By the way, Dongsan Lee is a “big shot” guy in Korea. In addition to the ESTA Scam websites (www.estauk.com, www.estakorea.or.kr, www.estajapan.com, www.estagermany.org, www.estafrance.net ), he also runs www.paygate.net, which is a Paypal look-a-like website. Maybe Paygate is also a scam, I am not sure.

Mr. Lee is going down! He stole $45 from me, but he won’t get away with it. This guy should go to JAIL !

Jim Scott

LeisureFirst

But quality of the English is so poor, I really can't see how anyone who has English as a first language would believe this site was real.

Mr Lee might profit from paying an English-speaker to write his site for him.

LeisureFirst

Strictly speaking, I can't see that this one is doing anything wrong. It is very explicit about what it offers, namely an "ESTA Application Guide" for $49.25, and it does state that it is not affiliated with the US Government.

Presumably if you pay $49.25 you do get sent an application guide. Of course you don't need an application guide, but I would have thought that was obvious.

It makes me wonder how easy it is to make money by selling people useless things that they don't need. But I guess people have been wondering that for thousands of years.

sunrisegirl

Absolutely agree 100%. ^

At LGW we've been told by the US Immigration people we work with there that if passengers haven't completed ESTA they will not be allowed to travel and if they do get through then the airlines will be heavily fined. Obviously BA are not prepared to pay fines for those who don't want to do it.

So it takes a few minutes of your time. Which is easier, a few minutes of your time or a lengthy interrogation at your US entry point, perhaps followed by you being refused admission and sent straight back? I would have thought the answer is obvious.

DocW

My MIL is also rather concerned that someone has all her personal details, passport number, *and* bank details for having paid for it... I'm also fairly certain that they dont' register you properly on ESTA (why would they bother?).