Green card to USA Lottery

shannon_tek

I applied to this site a while back.
https://www.dvlottery.state.gov/

I dont know if this site was genuine too late now.
Anyway i got an email today saying that i have been selected to accept a Green card. Unfortunately it came under junk mail. Sometimes that does happen but im just taking this as a more serious case of fraud or genuine.

does anyone know anything about the site.
Also does anyone know if there is a genuine fee you have to pay of $879 for visa green card.

emeraldstar

Genuine? That's the official site!

Tonto86

I think its real too bro. Pretty sure .gov in usa and Canada is reserved for government.

Fair dues to ya, ways the odds?

lonestargirl

Are you sure that's the exact site you used to apply. It is the official one but
(a) winners are selected in the summer
(b) they do not notify you by email
(c) there is no fee until you are actually going to the embassy interview

shannon_tek

lonestargirl wrote: »

Are you sure that's the exact site you used to apply. It is the official one but
(a) winners are selected in the summer
(b) they do not notify you by email
(c) there is no fee until you are actually going to the embassy interview

Yup I checked my history to double check it was the site used.
As for the rest. they have my name and phone number which is hard to find. and my nationality referring to what i put in

BuffyBot

They don't normally email. That's the first thing that rings alarm bells. You have to log back into the site months after the application period, something which has now finished. The process has begun again for new applicants.

Secondly, google "879 green card".

Third check where the email actually came frim by examining the headers. I'll bet money it's not from where it says it's from..

zerozay

@Shannon_Tek They don't notify winners via e-mail PERIOD. You can only check if you were selected on the official website on May 1st next year. Also, the fee is $819 if you go to the interview (not $879) which you don't pay until you go to the US embassy on the day itself.

Any e-mail you get informing you of a win in the diversity lottery is a scam.

silja

You applied to the correct site, but the winner's email is a scam- they do not notify via email. I am guessing you are supposed to send the fee via Western Union, right?

shannon_tek

silja wrote: »

You applied to the correct site, but the winner's email is a scam- they do not notify via email. I am guessing you are supposed to send the fee via Western Union, right?

Got it in one

shannon_tek

This is the way the email breaks down


Dear [My Name Removed] ,
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
Reference Number: DV570027-985-9239****
Acceptance Date: Saturday 12th of November 2011 07:19:17 AM
Winner: H
Country: United Kingdom
Phone Number: 353**
Mobile Number: 353
Registration Date: 2011-08-13

Diversity Visa Details

With the Diversity Visa (also known as Green Card) you will enjoy all the advantages and benefits of a U.S. permanent resident, including health and education benefits, and employment opportunities along with guidance in your new country, orientation sessions and programs to integrate into mainstream American society. Once received you can use it at any time you want to move in the United States or just travel. The visa must be renewed after 10 years.

U.S. Government helps you with the accommodation and offers you Health Insurance (Freedom HSA Direct Individual Health insurance for 1 year), Dwelling(Apartment in any city you prefer, 1 bedroom for 3 months ), a guaranteed job(in the field that you are are currently qualified so you can start working even from the first week you arrive in the United States and get paid as U.S citizen. ) and education (for U.S. Students or Higher Education through EducationUSA. It includes transfer to a U.S college or University so you can continue your educational study. More details can be found at http://educationusa.state.gov/ .)

Processing fees


Type of Residence Card Status Amount (per person)
United States Permanent Resident Card Granted! - Waiting for payment of processing fee $879
Processing fees Included
Total $879

Although the Diversity Visa participation was free, the law and regulations require to every diversity visa winner to pay a visa processing fee of $879 . The Diversity Visa(Green Card) is guaranteed upon receiving the payment.
The per person fee for each Diversity Visa is $879, payable in U.S. dollars or equivalent of your local currency. This $879 fee is the only fee a winner needs to pay throughout the entire relocation process.
Accompanying family members(wife/husband, fiancee, brothers, sisters, childrens, cousins) may be included in the program and their visas will be provided at the same time with yours so you can travel/move together in the same time. However the fees must be paid per person and each member(e.g wife, brother, parents, childrens, cousin) must pay $879. There is no discount for childrens.

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 : Heather Nielson
Address: 73 Queens Avenue
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
a) Fax copy/scan of the Western Union receipt to: +44 207 100 8170
b) Email at kccdv@dv-state.com with the following details (you can find them on the money transfer receipt):

1) Money Transfer Control Number (MTCN):
2) Exact sender's name on file with Western Union:
3) Exact sender's address on file with Western Union:
4) Exact receiver's name on file with Western Union:
5) Amount sent:

Then wait for the confirmation that the payment was received.

Within 72 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.



Please Note!

The payment must be sent via Western Union until 25 November 2011. You are strongly encouraged not to wait until the last day to pay. Heavy demand may result in system delays.
Under no circumstances can diversity visas be issued or adjustments approved after this date, nor can family members obtain diversity visas to follow-to-join the principal applicant in the U.S. after this date.
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 kccdv@dv-state.com




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.

zerozay

^^^^Definitely a scam. The kccdv@dv-state.com e-mail address doesn't even come from an official US government agency. Asking for payment via western union is another dead give away that this is a scam. Also, the US government doesn't provide you with free airfare, free healthcare, free accommodation, free education or a guaranteed job. The reference number isn't correct either. A proper reference number starts with whatever the year is for the lottery e.g. DV2013 would be the correct beginning for those who applied last month, DV2012 for those who applied last year etc.

The fax number got a hit at a scam prevention site here too. It's a few posts down. Are you able to check the headers from the e-mail sent to you? It could possibly show where the scammer is really based.

BuffyBot

Acceptance Date: Saturday 12th of November 2011 07:19:17 AM

The DV lottery acceptance period is normally in May each year, so no one gets accepted in November.

Registration Date: 2011-08-13

The applications only open in November of each year.

(also known as Green Card)

The US government, rarely, if ever refer to the term "Green Card" when it comes to the DV lottery

U.S. Government helps you with the accommodation and offers you Health Insurance (Freedom HSA Direct Individual Health insurance for 1 year), Dwelling(Apartment in any city you prefer, 1 bedroom for 3 months ), a guaranteed job(in the field that you are are currently qualified so you can start working even from the first week you arrive in the United States and get paid as U.S citizen. ) and education (for U.S. Students or Higher Education through EducationUSA. It includes transfer to a U.S college or University so you can continue your educational study. More details can be found at http://educationusa.state.gov/ .)

Apart from the attrocious grammar, could anyone believe the US Government is going to give you a visa AND a job, health insurance, apartment in *any* city you want and a job...

Western Union

Red alert

dv-state.com

Why on earth would the US government be using a .com web address. Offical government sites end with .gov

Lots of things make it glaringly a fake!

shannon_tek

thank you. but as for the registration date it was back then when i applied on the mentioned site in 1st post

zerozay

^^^If you applied on the site you mentioned at the start, you applied in the correct place alright. It's just they never inform winners via e-mail.

NiRiainRua

Yes, as others have said that email is a scam.

You would never be informed by email, or asked to pay anything through Western Union.
The only genuine sites concerning the DV Lottery end in .state.gov
Go to this site:
http://travel.state.gov/pdf/DV_2013_instructions.pdf

Page 10 Question 16 explains the selection process and what to expect.
Page 13 Question 32 tells you how to report fraudulent emails.

You should report that email - those a***holes need to be caught.

The most worrying thing is, how did they know you had applied?
Either your computer got hacked or somebody who knows you applied has sold your personal information. You may be a target for identity theft, get advice on how to protect yourself.

shannon_tek

NiRiainRua wrote: »

Yes, as others have said that email is a scam.

You would never be informed by email, or asked to pay anything through Western Union.
The only genuine sites concerning the DV Lottery end in .state.gov
Go to this site:
http://travel.state.gov/pdf/DV_2013_instructions.pdf

Page 10 Question 16 explains the selection process and what to expect.
Page 13 Question 32 tells you how to report fraudulent emails.

You should report that email - those a***holes need to be caught.

The most worrying thing is, how did they know you had applied?
Either your computer got hacked or somebody who knows you applied has sold your personal information. You may be a target for identity theft, get advice on how to protect yourself.

Thank you. Ya i will have it looked into Its very concerning. Luckly my Irish data is secure. The same with my Uk. Looking back on the date and my info nothing is connected.

silja

shannon_tek wrote: »

Thank you. Ya i will have it looked into Its very concerning. Luckly my Irish data is secure. The same with my Uk. Looking back on the date and my info nothing is connected.

I wouldn't worry too much about it. I never entered the lottery and yet get some "winners spam" most years.

whatever73

After a long few months of interviews and paperwork I got granted my green card through the lottery yesterday. I'm currently sponsored in Australia but would prefer to live in America. I have a holiday booked home via LA in two weeks. I want to get the visa stamped in my passport when I go there this time but I wont be moving over there for good till after Christmas, will this be ok?

Also anyone know what the job situation is like in the construction industry is like in New York at the moment? I'm a QS with 2 years experience in Ireland and 2 year in Australia. Thanks

silja

*** Moving from USA Travel to USA Living., where the new question may get a better answer ****

Murky Waters

whatever73 wrote: »

After a long few months of interviews and paperwork I got granted my green card through the lottery yesterday. I'm currently sponsored in Australia but would prefer to live in America. I have a holiday booked home via LA in two weeks. I want to get the visa stamped in my passport when I go there this time but I wont be moving over there for good till after Christmas, will this be ok?

Yes. When you go through immigration in LA & present your sealed envelope you will be brought to a secondary area to be fingerprinted. They will stamp your passport with a temporary I-551 which will have an expiry date of usually six months & acts as a physical greencard until such a time as you receive your plastic greencard in the post to your US address. Valid for Work and Travel is on this stamp, as is your Alien Registrartion No.

This stamp is good for applying for social security number, bank account, drivers licence, work, travel.

If yours was granted yesterday you have have to activate it within six months. Ideally you would be emigrating on the day of activation, but doing what you plan is fine once you actually do move there permanently within six months of the date it was granted. I don't know whether you're staying in Ireland until after Christmas, or returning to Oz either via LA or by another route, but either way the I-551 stamp will allow you to enter the USA as ofter as you like up to the expiry date that will be written on the I-551 stamp on your passport.

Bear in mind that your plastic card will be posted to whatever US address you have given, so make sure that it will be safe in the hands of someone at that address, because the chances are that it will have been processed before January.

Just make sure that you have moved there permanently within six months of when your visa was originally granted.

Palmy

I was granted my Green card stamp in Feb 2010,Went on Vacation from late August 2010 to late Sept 2010 and returned to Ireland,this was so i could activate the visa.They sent the Green card to the U.S address (family) i gave them within about 9 weeks.Family sent the Green cards to Ireland for me and we moved permanently August 2011.Making it about ten months from my return to going back permanently.I was asked at U.S customs in Dublin why i had been out of the U.S for so long.I told them i needed to sell all my things such as my car etc, and that this time i was going for good.Yeah no problem.:PThey understand you have to sort things out and sell things just make sure you don't leave it much longer than 10 months or you risk getting grilled.

whatever73

That's good to know. Still kind of pinching myself as I've spoken to lots of people who apply for the lottery every year with no luck. Now is it Boston, New York or Chicago???? decisions, decisions

augusta24

Palmy wrote: »

I was granted my Green card stamp in Feb 2010,Went on Vacation from late August 2010 to late Sept 2010 and returned to Ireland,this was so i could activate the visa.They sent the Green card to the U.S address (family) i gave them within about 9 weeks.Family sent the Green cards to Ireland for me and we moved permanently August 2011.Making it about ten months from my return to going back permanently.I was asked at U.S customs in Dublin why i had been out of the U.S for so long.I told them i needed to sell all my things such as my car etc, and that this time i was going for good.Yeah no problem.:PThey understand you have to sort things out and sell things just make sure you don't leave it much longer than 10 months or you risk getting grilled.

I noticed that you said "we moved". This was something I was wondering about, if you manage to get your green card this way can your family be granted one with you? Or is this really not a great option for those who are married?

Palmy

I applied and won the DV Lottery once i had gone through the process and approved, my Wife and Son got them as well.I am in Florida,Sun and Sand all year round.Loving it.

Palmy

Sorry if your married your Wife and any children under 18yrs old will also get Greencards.Not parents or anything.Once you become a citizen (after 5yrs if you apply) you can get your parents a Greencard easily, but for say a brother or sister it can take ten years to get them Greencards.

augusta24

Palmy wrote: »

Sorry if your married your Wife and any children under 18yrs old will also get Greencards.Not parents or anything.Once you become a citizen (after 5yrs if you apply) you can get your parents a Greencard easily, but for say a brother or sister it can take ten years to get them Greencards.

Thanks for that! And is the process the same if your in a relationship and end up getting married? Will the wife get the greencard then?

silja

augusta24 wrote: »

Thanks for that! And is the process the same if your in a relationship and end up getting married? Will the wife get the greencard then?

If you get married before the interview, yes.
If afterwards, you can petition for your wife as a greencard holder, it takes around 2.5 years.

Aprilmay

The same situation as Palmy we were selected in 2010 got the greencard in April 2010 activated with our kids in early October 2010 got our greencards sent to friends in California and had them about 9 weeks later.Myself and my husband went back out in April 2011 to check schools etc, we didn't actually move until the Oct 2011 our kids had been out of the U.S for over a year! My husband rang border security a couple of weeks before we were due to fly out and asked if we'd be stopped but they said because we had been back to the U.S sorting things it would be ok.

I was worried going through customs but everything was fine the lady was really chatty to us she just swiped my card and my husbands cards and wished us well.I was expecting alarms if she swiped the kids . We are now living in North Carolina. I will say we could have got someone who could have been difficult but I think because we were a family with older kids they were accomodating as there are more things to tie up with schools etc.
I wouldn't leave it too long if you're a single person and you have already been living abroad elsewhere they could ask more questions.
Good luck

Glad everything worked out for you Palmy we are headed to Florida next week for a holiday before the kids go back to school.

HavingCrack

whatever73 wrote: »

That's good to know. Still kind of pinching myself as I've spoken to lots of people who apply for the lottery every year with no luck. Now is it Boston, New York or Chicago???? decisions, decisions

New York is a great city to live in but the price of rent even in the outer boroughs and in Hoboken/Jersey City is absolutely insane unless you have a ridiculously well paying job. Getting somewhere to rent is also difficult if you're not from the city, get used to credit checks, employers letters, bank statements and interviews with a 'residents committee', serious hassle.

Boston is also fairly expensive. Chicago is still pricier than the likes of Texas or Florida but still a lot cheaper than New York or Boston.

doddly

When is the green card lottery open to apply for 2013

BuffyBot

2013 round has been and gone. Applications for DV-2014 will most likely begin around the start of October this year.