Each year the U.S. government announces the winners of the U.S. diversity visa lottery. The lottery offers winners the possibility of obtaining a U.S. green card.
Unfortunately, many email scammers send out false winning announcements in the hopes that the recipients will eagerly send money without asking questions. To report a scam diversity lottery email, report it to government at this link. The following is what one recent scam email looked like:
—– Forwarded Message —–
From: U.S. Department of State <dv@travel-state-program.com>
To: [Your Name Here]
Sent: Thursday, November 17, 2011 10:30 PM
Subject: U.S. Department of State – United States Permanent Resident Card for [Your Name Here]
Your registered name [Your Name Here] [ Your@EmailAddress.com] is included to show this message originated from U.S. Department of State. U.S. Department of State notifies [Your Name Here] of being selected as a winner of the Diversity Visa program. Dear [Your Name Here] , You are one of the 50,000 winners selected by the computer random draw from the 12.1 million entries registered in the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program . The Diversity Immigrant Visa program is a United States congressionally-mandated lottery program for receiving a United States Permanent Resident Card. It is also known as the Green Card Lottery. Winner Details
Diversity Visa Details Please note that you are allowed to take with you as many family members you want. However for each person you must pay an additional amount of U.S $879
For example if you decide to move in the United States with your wife and a kid the total fee is US$879(your fee) + US$879(your wife) + US$879(your kid) = US$2637. PURPOSE: The U.S. Department of State uses the fee payment primarily to process your visa related documents and verify your identity. Visa Payment processing instructions The fees must be paid using Western Union money transfer and will be processed by the U.S. embassy in the United Kingdom. Western Union is a leading provider of International person-to-person money transfer. With more than 150 years experience and 245,000 Agent locations in over 200 countries and territories, Western Union is recognized for sending money quickly, reliably, and safety. You can send the payment in U.S. dollars or equivalent of your local currency . Click on the following link to find the nearest Western Union agency and send the fees payment : Find Western Union Agency If you are unable to find a Western Union agency near your location, you may ask a relative or friend to pay the fee on your behalf. After you find a Western Union agency you need to go with cash money, an identity card(e.g passport or national identity card) and send the payment to the U.S. embassy agent address in United Kingdom: Name : [A common name] Address: [An Address] London, N20 0JB United Kingdom The payment must be sent to the above U.S. embassy agent address in United Kingdom because the U.S. Department of State decided this based on the diplomatic relations with your country. After you send the payment follow the next steps:
Fax the Western Union receipt at +44 2080434497 ! Then wait for the confirmation that the payment was received. Within 48 hours, you will receive a confirmation via email with your Case Number/Confirmation Number and exact date and time(approx. 2 days) of the final interview. Upon successful interview you will receive your documents and travel information to move in the United States. Under no circumstances your visa status won’t be affected by the interview. After you have paid the processing fees your visa is guaranteed ! Please Note! The payment must be sent via Western Union in maxx 5 working days after you have received and read the email from U.S. DEPARTMENT of STATE. You are strongly encouraged not to wait until the last day to pay. Heavy demand may result in system delays . The visa processing fee(US $879) is mandatory for each person and the U.S. Government doesn’t offer any discount, loan or exception. You have been selected winner of the Diversity Visa lottery so the visa is guaranteed upon receiving the payment fees on time. A hard copy of this letter will be mailed to your postal address upon receiving the payment fees. Please be advised that even through you are a winner of Diversity Visa your Case Number/Confirmation Number will be provided only after you send the payment confirmation of the fees. Please do not contact us to ask for the Case Number/Confirmation Number. If it would be necessary to contact the U.S. Department of state YOU MUST ALWAYS REFER TO YOUR NAME. The email is support@travel-state-program. CONFIDENTIALITY STATEMENT: AUTHORITIES: The information asked for on this form is requested pursuant to Section 222 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Section 222(f) provides that the records of the Department of State and of diplomatic and consular offices of the United States pertaining to the issuance and refusal of visas or permits to enter the United States shall be considered confidential and shall be used only for the formulation, amendment, administration, or enforcement of the immigration, nationality, and other laws of the United States. Certified copies of such records may be made available to a court provided the court certifies that the information contained in such records is needed in a case pending before the court. |
[Your Name Here]