FAA Issues Drone Registration Scam Warning Says Don't Pay Others to Register Your Drone

Hobbyist worried about pending regulations that require everyone flying a drone to register them are being warned by the FAA about potential scams involving third parties profiting off what might be a very simple registration process.

While drone registration is not yet required, and the process to register those drones as not yet been finalizes, it appears as though some companies may have taken to profiteering by offering services that would make it easier for any user to register there drones with the FAA. However, the Federal Aviation Administration is telling hobbyist to hold off on jumping the gun and to think twice before signing up with any company that promises to register your drone for a fee.

The FAA is telling all drone owners that they should wait until additional details about the forthcoming drone registration system are announced later this month before paying anyone to do the work for them. Stating that the process won't be much different than registering products with their manufacturers and that you can "probably" do it yourself whenever the program actually kicks in.

The FAA has setup a Task Force assigned with providing FAA Administrator Michael Huerta with recommendations on the registration process. Administrator Huerta told the group to provide guidance on a streamlined unmanned aircraft registration process that will be simple and easy to complete, and which types of UAS would need to be registered and which would not. The Task Force agreed and is working on recommendations for a system that is similar to registering any newly purchased product with its manufacturer as well as minimum weight for unmanned aircraft that must be registered.

While the recommendation from the task force are still pending and the FAA has not finalized any of the details. They have noted that at least one company is already offering to help people register their drones for a fee. Prompting them to issue today's warning. In short, anyone asking for your money right now is only taking advantage of the system and is being an opportunist.

Drone owners should visit FAA.gov for official updates on the unmanned aircraft registry. There is no word on when the registry will be up and running and again there are no specific regulations finalized at this time!