pɹɪvˈɛnʃən ʌv sˈʌtʃ "ˈɛstə fˈiː skˈæmz" wʌz mˌeɪd mˈoːɹ dˈɪfɪkəlt wɛn ðə mˈændətˌoːɹi jˈuː.ˈɛs. ɡˈʌvɚnmənt fˈiː wʌz ɪmpˈoʊzd, æz pɹˈiːviəs pˈʌblɪk ˌɛdʒuːkˈeɪʃən ˈɛfɚts fˈoʊkəst ˌɔn ɡˌɛɾɪŋ ˈaʊt ðə mˈɛsɪdʒ ðæt ˈɛstə ˌæplɪkˈeɪʃənz wɜː fɹˈiː ʌv tʃˈɑːɹdʒ ænd ˈɛnɪbˌɑːdi ɹᵻkwˈɛstɪŋ pˈeɪmənt wʌz ɐn ʌnˈɔːθɚɹˌaɪzd θˈɜːdpˈɑːɹɾi.
Prevention of such "ESTA fee scams" was made more difficult when the mandatory U.S. government fee was imposed, as previous public education efforts focused on getting out the message that ESTA applications were free of charge and anybody requesting payment was an unauthorized third-party.