Are Online Press Passes Legit, and How to Spot a Scam

Online press passes are legit only as what they really are, which is a printed card or a file that some private company made for you. They are not credentials, and no website can grant you access to an event, a police line or a government building. Real credentials come from the people who control the space. In New York City, for example, the official press card comes from a city office and costs nothing to apply for¹.

This page shows what an online seller can and can't give you, the red flags that point to a scam, the warnings real issuers have published, and the questions to ask before you pay anyone. It also shows what organizers actually want from you, because that matters more than any card.

Facts and prices checked November 13, 2026. See something wrong? Tell us.

Key takeaways

• An online press pass is a private product, not a credential, and it grants no access anywhere.
• Real credentials come from the organizer, league, venue, city office or outlet that controls access, and many cost nothing¹.
• The UK Press Card Authority says cards sold by outside groups for a fee are invariably fakes with no standing².
• People have been arrested for using fake press passes to get into a closed fire zone³.
• Before you pay, ask what the seller checks, what it promises, and whether you get a refund if you don't qualify.

What an online press pass really is

A press pass sold online is a product made by a private company. Some sellers just print whatever name and outlet you type in. Others check your published work first. Either way, the card itself has no official power.

That matters because access is not handed out by card makers. It is handed out by whoever runs the space. A survey of 1,339 journalists, reported in 2014 by Harvard's Digital Media Law Project with partners including the National Press Photographers Association, looked at who gets credentials⁴. The lead author said far more agencies, both government and private, issue credentials than there are laws governing them, and called it largely an unregulated space⁴.

So when people ask if online press passes are legit, the honest answer has two parts. The product can be real, in the sense that you get what was described. But no online pass, from anyone, makes an organizer let you in. If you want the full picture of how passes work, start with what a press pass is and how it works.

A real case of fake press passes at a fire zone

In January 2025, during the Palisades fire in Los Angeles, the California Highway Patrol stopped two people at separate road closures inside the evacuation zone³. They were using what looked like Sheriff's Department press passes³. Officers called the Sheriff's Department, which confirmed the passes were fake, and the CHP arrested both people³. A search of their things turned up more fake press passes³.

The lesson is simple. The people at the line called the issuer to check. A card that looks right is not the same as a card the issuer gave you, and the issuer is the one who gets asked.

A second story shows the other side. In 2018, a California Highway Patrol officer stopped a local radio host inside a mudslide exclusion zone in Montecito and took his station press pass⁵. A CHP spokesperson said the passes could have easily been home made on a basic printer⁵. The host was released without arrest, but he couldn't finish his interview and never got the pass back⁵. The spokesperson said journalists wanting access should apply for passes from the county sheriff⁵.

Who issues real press credentials

Real credentials come from the body that controls the space you want to enter. Here are four common types and what they say about themselves.

Notice what is missing from that list. No online seller appears, because no online seller controls a police line, a stadium or a festival gate. If you're trying to get into a specific place, go to the people who run it. Our guide on press credentials and who issues them covers each type in more depth.

What an online seller can and cannot give you

It helps to split this into two lists. A good seller can give you useful things. No seller can give you the thing many ads seem to promise.

If all you need is a clean card to hold your name, photo and contact details, you don't need to buy anything. You can print one yourself.

Our free template is unbranded. It has a PRESS header, no Media List name or logo on the card faces, and a disclaimer printed on both sides. It has no seals, badge shapes or official wording. Nobody checks anything, so it shows no verification. The free press pass template guide explains how to edit and print it.

If nobody at an outlet vouches for you

Here's where most people get stuck. Staff reporters have an employer ID and an editor who will sign a letter. Freelancers, bloggers, podcasters and creators often have neither. That's exactly the gap many online sellers aim at.

The gap is real. In the same survey, freelancers were more than twice as likely as full-time staff to be denied a credential, and 39 percent of unpaid independent journalists said they had been denied at least once⁴. Over one in five of all respondents had been turned down by at least one agency since 2008⁴.

A card doesn't close that gap by itself. What helps is proof an organizer can check quickly, like links to your recent bylines, an editor's letter of assignment and your audience numbers. If you want a third party to look at your published work and give you files that show the result, that is the honest version of what an online pass can be.

Whatever you choose, the organizer still decides. Our guide on a press pass for freelance journalists covers the routes that work without a staff job.

Red flags that point to a scam

Most bad offers give themselves away. Watch for these signs.

• No checks at all. If you can type any name and any outlet and get a card back, the card proves nothing to anyone.
• Access claims. Promises like get into any event, skip the line or pass police checkpoints are false. Access belongs to the issuer, as the table above shows.
• Police or government looks. Seals, star or shield shapes, and words like official, authorized or accredited on a bought card are a warning sign. Making something that looks like a police or government ID can get you into real trouble, as our guide on making your own press pass explains.
• Membership that exists only to sell cards. If the group does nothing except take a fee and mail a card, it is not a press association.
• Odd payment demands. The FTC says a demand to pay only by bank transfer, wire, crypto, payment app or gift card is a red flag, and anyone insisting on one of those is probably a scammer⁷.
• No refund terms. If the seller won't say what happens when you don't qualify, assume nothing happens.

What real issuers have warned

Real credential bodies have spoken up about outside cards. The UK Press Card Authority, which runs the UK Press Card through 22 gatekeeper organizations, says its card is the only press identity card recognized by the UK chief police officers' associations². It warns that other groups offering press cards, often for a fee, issue cards that are invariably fakes with no standing or value². It also says the genuine card has security features known to bodies such as the police, and runs a verification hotline².

Back in 2010, the chairman of the same authority raised concerns about a press pass sold by a website that looked like the industry card but had not been approved by the industry⁸. He said police and third parties might be misled by it, and his group planned to flag it to police forces⁸.

In the US, fake press passes have shown up in criminal cases. In 2018, the Associated Press reported that a Missouri man who posed as an FBI agent and as a journalist faced added charges for other counterfeit credentials, including a fake White House press pass⁹. That's an extreme case, but it shows how seriously officials treat fake versions of real credentials.

Questions to ask before you pay

Treat a press pass purchase like any other online purchase where the seller makes claims. Ask these questions and get the answers in writing on the seller's own page.

1. What exactly do you check? Look for specific rules, like a number of bylines, a time window and proof that the work is yours.
2. Who does the checking? A person, a script, or nobody.
3. What do you say the pass does? An honest seller says plainly that it grants no access and that organizers decide.
4. Does it look like a government ID? If yes, walk away.
5. What happens if I don't qualify? You want a full refund, stated up front.
6. Does it renew, and how do I cancel? Find the renewal price and the cancel steps before you pay.
7. Can someone check that it's mine? A public page or code that shows what was checked is more useful than a shiny card.

The FTC also suggests searching a company's name with words like review, scam or complaint, and paying by credit card when you can, because cards let you dispute charges⁷. If you've already paid a scammer, contact the payment company right away and report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov⁷.

What organizers actually look at

Organizers rarely ask what card you own. They ask what you'll publish, where, and for whom. That's why a strong application beats a fancy badge.

Most media pages ask you to send some mix of these.

• Links to recent published work with your name on it
• A letter of assignment from an editor or client at the outlet
• Your outlet's audience numbers
• What you plan to cover and when it will run

The letter of assignment is the big one for freelancers. An editor or client at the outlet fills it in and signs it. You never sign it for them, never use an outlet name you don't work for, and never sign in someone else's name. Our letter of assignment template shows what it should say.

Official issuers set their own rules too. New York City's press card is free to apply for, but the holder must follow lawful orders, can't transfer the card, and can be refused at a scene for space, safety or evidence reasons⁶. A bought card doesn't change any of that.

Check what a pass verifies before you buy

If you decide a paid pass is worth it, pick one that tells you exactly what it checks and what it doesn't do. Here's how the Media List Press Pass works, so you can compare it against the questions above.

It's a verification of your published work, based on what you send us, plus print-ready design files. We look for at least 5 articles with your name as the author from the last 24 months. You show the bylines are yours, either with a work email at the outlet, which is fastest, or with a link from your author page that a person checks. The site has to be registered 5 or more years ago, or you need 2 or more years of your work on Substack, Medium, beehiiv and similar. The site has to mainly publish news, reviews, analysis or commentary. Most checks finish in minutes, and the term starts the day you're verified.

You get a wallet card front and back in 4 styles, a 3 by 4 inch lanyard badge, a letter of verification, a certificate, a vehicle placard, and a public verification page on medialist.com. Every file has a QR code that opens that page, so anyone you show it to can see what we checked. You can make new files any time during the term.

Here's what it isn't. It is not an official or government ID, not a credential, license, accreditation or proof of employment, and it grants no access. Organizers, venues and officials make their own decisions. You can show it, or attach the letter when you ask for access, and they decide. You're solely responsible for how you use it and for following the law. If you don't qualify, you get a full refund. If you only need a blank card, the free template costs nothing. See all the details on the Media List Press Pass page.

Questions, answered

Are online press passes legit?

They're legit only as private products, meaning a card or files a company made for you. They are not credentials and grant no access. Real credentials come from the organizer, agency or outlet that controls the space⁴.

Can a press pass I bought online get me into events?

No. Event organizers decide who gets in, and they usually ask for clips, an assignment letter and audience numbers. A bought card doesn't override their rules.

Is it a scam if the seller doesn't check anything?

Not always a scam, but the card proves nothing. If anyone can type any name and outlet and get a card, nobody has reason to trust it. A seller that checks your published work and shows the result is more useful.

How can I tell if a press card is fake?

Ask the issuer. In the Palisades fire case, officers called the Sheriff's Department, which confirmed the passes were fake³. The UK Press Card Authority runs a hotline for checking its cards².

Do real press credentials cost money?

Many don't. New York City charges no fee to apply for its press card¹. Event and league credentials are set by each organizer, so check their media page.

What should I do if I paid for a fake press pass?

Contact your card company or payment app right away, say it was fraud and ask if the payment can be stopped or reversed. Then report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov⁷.

Is a press card membership group the same as a union?

Not necessarily. A real union or press association does work for its members beyond cards. A group that only takes a fee and mails a card is not the same thing, and the UK Press Card Authority warns that such cards have no standing².

Related guides

• What Is a Press Pass, Who Issues One and How It Works
• Free Press Pass Template to Download and Edit in Word
• Press Credentials Explained, What They Are and Who Issues Them
• Freelance Journalist Press Pass Options Without a Staff Job
• Is It Legal to Make Your Own Press Pass? What Laws Say

Sources

1. NYC Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, Press Card, checked 2026-11-13
2. UK Press Card Authority, About the UK Press Card, checked 2026-11-13
3. Los Angeles Times via Yahoo News, To get into off-limits fire zone, two people pretended to be reporters, officials say (January 20, 2025), checked 2026-11-13
4. Nieman Lab, Who gets press passes? A new survey looks at how journalists are being credentialed (June 2014), checked 2026-11-13
5. U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, California Highway Patrol officer stops local radio host, seizes his press pass (January 2018), checked 2026-11-13
6. NYC Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, Press Card important guidelines, checked 2026-11-13
7. Federal Trade Commission, A way to spot scams, how someone asks you to pay (July 22, 2026), checked 2026-11-13
8. Press Gazette, Warnings issued over unofficial press card (August 10, 2010), checked 2026-11-13
9. Associated Press via KSIS Radio, Man facing impersonation charges for using fake credentials (May 21, 2018), checked 2026-11-13