Why the US State Department shut down its passport applicant online appointment system

The U.S. State Department has temporarily shut down its online appointment system for passport applicants claiming scammers scheduled appointments then sold them for thousands of dollars to desperate travelers.

Scammers allegedly used bots to schedule appointments which where were then sold in online forums, including Facebook groups like 'US Passports and Visas,' SFGate reported. 

The State Department first learned of the scams in June. The online system had offered the ability to schedule last-minute appointments for travelers, which were often reserved for travelers in life-or-death emergencies. 

A message posted to the State Department's website reads: 

'We have temporarily removed the online last-minute appointment booking system to ensure our very limited, last-minute in-person passport appointments at one of our agencies or centers go to applicants who need them for urgent travel.'