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Have you received an email from "Mrs, Christine Roberts" at "U.S Consulate-Kentucky"? The email claims that the "winner" won a United States green card... through a "email drawing". The email starts with
"We wish to inform you that you are among the lucky selected winners of the US Green Card Email ballot lottery program of the..."
This scam mixes both fact and fiction, as many cons do to make the false portions of the story more believable by connecting them to true facts. Notice that they've taken an earlier scam and simply changed "Grace" to Christine".
But, it's not to hard to see through this scam. First, the United States does not conduct "promotions" to draw participants to it's "green card lottery" or use random drawings of email addresses collected from poor or developing countries. There are many times more applicants than desired! Secondly, why on earth would the United States government hold a lottery in a foreign country? If any country or organization were to hold a lottery, they certainly wouldn't use random email addresses as the basis for the contestants. That would simply be pointless. The letter claims: "The aims and objectives of the program is to give free visas to citizens of developing countries around the world who wishes to travel to U.S and start a new life and work. " Well, that's simply wrong! We the citizens of the US and our government do NOT believe that foreigners have any right to live in the U.S., no more than we would have any right to be in another country. Finally, you will notice it is signed, "Secretary-General-US-Consulate-Kentucky"/ Last time we looked, Kentucky was still a state, not a sovereign country, and the capital of the United States is still in Washington, DC!
Each year, the United States State Department conducts a lottery through its DV program to distribute applications for 50,000 immigrant visas. Winners of the lottery have a chance to apply for an immigrant visa, which can be used to enter the U. S. Winners are selected randomly, and there is no fee to enter the lottery. It is easy to enter online, and generally, there is no reason to pay a company to make the submission for you! See this page for information about the proper legal program!
We have highlighted some of the clues that this is a scam in the example below:
The Official U.S Green Card Lottery Program United States Department of State, National Visa Center
32 Rochester Ave, Portsmouth , NH 03801-2909 www.us-green-card-lottery.org
Case Number: 20070C00000156
Preferences Categories: DV DIVERSITY
Foreign State Chargeability: Asia-Pacific
PA Name: Agron
We wish to inform you that you are among the selected lucky winners of the U.S visa lottery (Green Card) Email ballot lottery program held on the 20th of November 2007 in Arkansas (USA) The lottery program was conducted under the terms of Section 203 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) Section 131 of the Immigration Act of 2006 (Pub.L.101-649) The aims and objectives of the program is to give free visas to citizens of developing countries around the world who wishes to travel to U.S and start a new life and work.
6.3 million Email addresses were randomly extracted during the 33-days extraction period that ran from (12.00 AM on October 10, 2007 until midnight, November, 9 2007) All extracted Email addresses were assigned to different ticket numbers for representation and privacy for final selection through computer draw system, your Email address attached to ticket number 56402-188 drew the lucky numbers which subsequently won you the U.S Green Card.
Notification is through the selected winning Email addresses with PA names, approximately (625) selected winners had been notified through their selected winning Email addresses including you today (Mon 10-12-2007) Your visa duration is 10 years multiple entries to the U.S, it is renewable upon expiration and it permits you to travel to the U.S with your spouse.
The visas have been apportioned among the six geographic regions and our Green Card processing experts had been apportioned among the six geographic regions, selected winners living legally in the United States who wish to pursue their Green Card status should contact any of our regional offices where their winning details falls for information's on the requirements and procedures, all selected winners will need to act on their visa claim application quickly before the expiration of the visa claim deadline which is on the (31-12-2007)
Your Green Card winning details falls within our Asia/pacific booklet representative office as indicated in the draw system and we have forwarded your winning details to our Asia/Pacific office for the processing of your Green Card Certificates with your Case Number which will enable you to obtain your visa, therefore, FOR YOUR VISA FORM, REQUIREMENTS AND FURTHER DETAILS, contact our Asia/pacific office with the below contact details;
CONTACT PERSON: MR. GEORGE GRAHAM.
Address: Indra Tower Suite 105 , 75/6 Wireless Road Panthumwam Bangkok Thailand.
Tel: +66-835 619 209 +66-843 578 622
Fax: +66-2251 9977
Email: usinfo@sfax.ws
All the selected lucky winners and accompanying family members should obtain their visas through the U.S Embassy in their home countries or their nearest U.S Embassy, and they should go to the Embassy when directed with their Green Card processed acknowledgement certificates and visa interview appointment letters for the issuance of their visas.
If it should be necessary to contact our Asia/Pacific office by telephone, you must always refer to your Case Number and your notification PA Name exactly as they appear above. Your Case Number is clearly written in the upper left hand corner of your notification letter.
Processing Fee.
Single application-$750USD
Dual/Family application- $1,250USD
The processing fee pays for the accuracy preparation of every document, Green card experts charges a nominal fee to cover administrative and processing costs incurred in conjunction with the careful processing of every document. The payment of the processing fee should be directed to any of our regional office where your winning details falls for the processing of your documents. Any of the below payment options is accepted.
Bank Transfers
Western Union
According to J.Stevenson Wilson, Author of Visa Lottery services Report, the total average fee charged by green card lottery services ($750USD) for one person, there is no correlation between the fee charged and the quality of services provided and its benefits.
Benefits.
All the selected lucky winners will get the constant legal status of the U.S inhabitant, an opportunity of free country entrance and departure, the right to be working in the USA legally and getting American salary, Green Card holders also receive health, education, retirement, taxation, social security and other benefits.
Non-Eligible Countries.
Selected winners from the following countries are not eligible to make the claim of their visas.
(Mexico-Brazil-Canada-Haiti-Columbia-Elsalvador-Jamaica-Poland-Peru-Korea-Dominican Republic-Philippines-Vietnam-Taiwan-China (mainland born) Russia and United-Kingdom (except Northern Ireland ) and its dependent countries) This is because each has more than 50, 000 candidates in the USA .
Please read and follow all the enclosed instructions very carefully.
Do not reply back to this notification email (busy
Sincerely yours,
Mrs, Christine Roberts,
(Secretary General U.S Consulate-Kentucky)
For details about the State Department's Diversity Visa lottery:
You also may call the State Department's Visa Services' Public Inquiries Branch at 202-663-1225. This number has recorded information with an option to speak with a visa specialist during normal business hours. Those overseas should contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.
The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them.
call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261.
The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.