Every year, about one million apostilles are processed in the United States alone. Citizens are doing business, retiring, migrating, and adopting children in foreign countries as the globe becomes more global. And this necessitates typically having necessary documents apostilled.
Sadly, where there is money, robbers and con artists will rise to the occasion. This has also occurred with the numerous apostille Texas services primarily offered online.
A bogus apostille service will usually defraud you in one of two ways:
1. They will take your money and vital documents (which you will mail to them) and never follow through on their promise.
2. They will return your documents with forged apostille seals, and you will be aware once you attempt to submit them to a foreign government or agency.
The major catch here is that many bogus operations are based outside the United States, perhaps in the United Kingdom or other parts of Europe. As a result, the victim's options are severely limited.
Protect yourself by ensuring that the company is based in the United States. There is no use in sending your crucial documents (which can be costly and difficult to obtain) overseas only to have that company return them to a Texas apostille office in the United States.
Yes, there may be genuine companies operating overseas, but if you choose a bogus one, you won't have much redress if they are based outside of the United States.
For how long has the apostille near me service been in operation? Examine how long their website has been up, who owns it, and if there are any online (unbiased) referrals from people who have utilized them. U.S. ex-pat chat groups can help with this because most members have undergone the identical process of obtaining apostilles.
Is the site a forgery of a reputable site? Examine the URL's spelling. Is it similar in phrasing to another prominent website? Sometimes thieves will impersonate a respectable website while redirecting money to a separate address. (If the apostille service operates in the United States, contact their local Better Business Bureau to discover if there are any complaints.)
Finally, if the apostille service only accepts wire transfers, this is a significant indication that it is bogus.
You should have no trouble finding a legitimate apostille service if you are aware and diligent. If you want to be absolutely sure, consider managing your documents yourself. This ensures that they reach the relevant government agency and acquire legal apostilles.