US State Department warns of green card lottery scams
he US Department of State is warning potential immigrants about an uptick in the fake letters and fraudulent emails sent to people who have applied for the Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) program, which is sometimes referred to as a “green card lottery.”
The Visa Lottery program is conducted each year by the state department with 50,000 prospective immigrants being awarded immigration applications. The winners are eligible to apply for a US visa and visit America.
The US Department of State is warning potential immigrants about an uptick in the fake letters and fraudulent emails sent to people who have applied for the Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) program, which is sometimes referred to as a “green card lottery.”
The Visa Lottery program is conducted each year by the state department with 50,000 prospective immigrants being awarded immigration applications. The winners are eligible to apply for a US visa and visit America.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, often times the scam involves an unscrupulous individual asking for a fee to either enter the visa lottery or increase the chance of winning it. However, the FTC says that there is no entry to enter the lottery and winners are selected at random.
The State Department says that there are a number of ways to recognize fraudulent emails and websites.
Three Arrested in Virginia For Immigration Fraud Scam
Three Virginia residents have been arrested after authorities discovered they scammed illegal immigrants by claiming they could provide fraudulent immigration documents.
The Leesburg Police Department’s Emergency Response Team obtained search warrants for two residences on the 0-100 block of Heritage Way, according to Leesburg Patch. Authorities discovered that Tomasa Solis, 51, Yesica Carolina Reyes-Moran, 21, and Julio Cesar Guzman, 24, were involved in a scheme where they allegedly told members of the Latino community that they could provide immigration documents for cash.
All three were charged with obtaining money by false pretenses. Solis was held on a $2,500 secure bond while Guzman was held without bail. Reyes-Moran was released on a personal recognizance bond.
Immigrants who are seeking permanent residence or citizenship should be cautious about who they trust and the paperwork they submit. In January, a US court shut down an online operation that reportedly posed as a US government website for immigration services, according to the news website NetworkWorld. The fake site charged fees between $200 and $2,500 for supposed immigration processing fees and services.
Source: Three Arrested in Virginia For Immigration Fraud Scam
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Mary Delgado
Immigrate In USA 