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USA: Very Interesting Phone Call This Morning {Green Card Service Website}

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  • 07-05-2012 12:48pm
    #1
    Electronicus Digitalis
    Registered Users Posts: 32 ✭


    Hi there, after suffering a recent personal setback, I dived headlong into the greencard scheme etc, not knowing any better, because I was desperate to make a move and get on and get out.

    I emailed some place I found on the net- their details below in black.


    USAGC Green Card Services
    USAGC Green Card Services
    Members@Usagcnews.org


    Because I don't have a valid credit card, I didn't finish the process out {it offers these prices, X for 1 year in the lottery, Y for 2 years in the lottery etc} so I waited for my paypal to top-up, but because today is a Bank Holiday etc its taking a bit longer. I was going to complete it then when my account had some money in it.

    Anyways, all thru the weekend, I am getting these emails, telling me I am eligible for this and for that, from the same people, and inviting me to complete the process. I just ignored them, waiting for my PayPal to top up.

    This morning, I got a phone call at 9AM Irish time {that's 4AM, at the latest, in the US} by a man who identified himself {in a non-US Accent} as "Bob McFerrin". He purported to be from the above named company, and started to ask me basic questions, which I answered.

    The questions were about basic stuff- my age, what education I had, what I was doing right now..etc.

    So I answered these, he gave me some number which he said was the special number for my application. He then went on at length about how I passed this test and that test, because I wasn't from China, or the United Kingdom {:confused:} or Bangladesh etc that this was great, Ireland was great, Ireland was tops for green cards etc.

    He then started to ask for credit card details- the brand {Visa vs Mastercard} and then the expiry date.

    This is where I stepped in and said was not prepared to do any further talking with him. He was talking about €208 for 4 years. I said I would prefer to complete the deal via the internet and paypal. He said that they had SSL this and SSL that, and that they were numero uno when it came to obeying the law and that they were in Texas etc etc and that it was against the law for me to email him my details etc.

    I said I would prefer to complete the transaction via PayPal and that because it was a Bank Holiday that it was taking longer to top up my account.

    He said he didn't know what was going on in Ireland regards holidays or how we did things.

    Anyways he then said he had to terminate the application, because there were like millions of people he had to talk to and he couldn't be waiting on me etc. So I told him to go ahead and do that. And ended the call accordingly.

    This could have all been very genuine, but it didn't feel that way.

    Any advice?

    Thanks in advance.


Comments

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    #2
    JohnMearsheimer
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,302 ✭✭✭JohnMearsheimer


    That was a scam, do not pay them any money and do not have any further contact with them. You can enter the green card lottery yourself and it's totally free to do so.


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    #3
    Electronicus Digitalis
    Registered Users Posts: 32 ✭Electronicus Digitalis


    JohnMearsheimer wrote: »
    That was a scam, do not pay them any money and do not have any further contact with them. You can enter the green card lottery yourself and it's totally free to do so.

    Cheers buddy.

    Here is the site.

    https://www.usagc.org/

    What website do you suggest I enter with?

    lol the more I think about the details of that call the more BS it seems.


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    #4
    orchidsrpretty
    Registered Users Posts: 2,138 ✭✭✭orchidsrpretty


    This is the offical site https://www.dvlottery.state.gov/ . Entry starts around October and last one month or so. Entry is completey free and easy to do yourself so dont get any company to do it for you. They are all scams and will not increase your chances or getting picked.


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    #5
    Electronicus Digitalis
    Registered Users Posts: 32 ✭Electronicus Digitalis


    orchidsrpretty wrote: »
    This is the offical site https://www.dvlottery.state.gov/ . Entry starts around October and last one month or so. Entry is completey free and easy to do yourself so dont get any company to do it for you. They are all scams and will not increase your chances or getting picked.

    Yeah thanks for that, it seems now that I will just try to keep working in Ireland, do my research, save some cash, and try to get into the USA or Canada in due course. Thanks.

    Guy was calling himself McFarrin and he sounded like a guy who was just in from Brazil or Portugal.

    Then he said "God Bless" at the end of the phone call and that really got me.....nobody ever says that on the phone to me. Thats real huckster language.


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    #6
    JohnMearsheimer
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,302 ✭✭✭JohnMearsheimer


    Electronicus Digitalis wrote: »
    Cheers buddy.

    Here is the site.

    https://www.usagc.org/

    What website do you suggest I enter with?

    lol the more I think about the details of that call the more BS it seems.

    https://www.dvlottery.state.gov/

    The above link is the official State department website to enter the Green Card lottery. Only use this site and no other. The entry period is usually October to November each year so you will have to wait a few months to enter the lottery for next year. It's pretty easy to do, you just fill out a form and upload a digital photo of yourself.


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    #7
    Electronicus Digitalis
    Registered Users Posts: 32 ✭Electronicus Digitalis


    JohnMearsheimer wrote: »
    https://www.dvlottery.state.gov/

    The above link is the official State department website to enter the Green Card lottery. Only use this site and no other. The entry period is usually October to November each year so you will have to wait a few months to enter the lottery for next year. It's pretty easy to do, you just fill out a form and upload a digital photo of yourself.

    Cheers pal, I appreciate your time and help. Best of luck.;)


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    #8
    Fr Tod Umptious
    Registered Users Posts: 15,242 ✭✭✭✭Fr Tod Umptious


    The only truthful think that the guy that called the op was saying was that the UK was ibeligible for the DB lottery.

    Anything other than the official site are scams


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    #9
    Electronicus Digitalis
    Registered Users Posts: 32 ✭Electronicus Digitalis


    Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »
    The only truthful think that the guy that called the op was saying was that the UK was ibeligible for the DB lottery.

    Anything other than the official site are scams

    Yeah, it may not have been a scam in the sense that he wanted to rip me off via my credit card, i.e. a credit card scam per se, but it was definitely a scam in that he wanted to take me for €208 to do something I could have done myself.


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    #10
    jd83
    Registered Users Posts: 1,445 ✭✭✭jd83


    Electronicus Digitalis wrote: »
    Yeah, it may not have been a scam in the sense that he wanted to rip me off via my credit card, i.e. a credit card scam per se, but it was definitely a scam in that he wanted to take me for €208 to do something I could have done myself.


    Yh i can guarantee you if you had have given you credit card details you would lose whatever the balance of your credit card was and not just 208 euro. Op if i were you i would make sure you didnt use the same password for your email address or password you use for other things like facebook etc. as the password for setting up an account on that site. Also mark all the emails as spam that were sent to you and delete them and dont click any links in the emails.


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    #11
    Electronicus Digitalis
    Registered Users Posts: 32 ✭Electronicus Digitalis


    jd83 wrote: »
    Yh i can guarantee you if you had have given you credit card details you would lose whatever the balance of your credit card was and not just 208 euro. Op if i were you i would make sure you didnt use the same password for your email address or password you use for other things like facebook etc. as the password for setting up an account on that site. Also mark all the emails as spam that were sent to you and delete them and dont click any links in the emails.

    No chance. I would never make that mistake. In fact I will change passwords now just to be safe in any case.


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    #12
    lauraw
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3 ✭lauraw


    DO NOT go near this crowd do it yourself for free on the government website. As i found out myself today i applied through this crowd for the 2013 dvlottery paying them 55.oo euro to submit my application. I went to find my status today and they didnt even submit my application on time. Stay well clear of the USAGC


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