This archive report was first published on 29 September 2019.
Every year, millions of people from around the world participate in the US Diversity Visa program, also known as the green card lottery. The program offers 50,000 individuals a chance to receive permanent residency in the United States. However, with so many people hoping to win, scammers have emerged to deceive participants into believing they have a better chance at winning if they apply through them.
According to the US State Department, which runs the Diversity Visa program, participants should be aware of scammers who use various tactics to deceive them. These tactics include charging money to enter the lottery, claiming to offer better chances of winning, and employing the services of 'agents' or 'visa consultants.'
The State Department warns that the lottery drawing is completely random, and there is no way to increase your chances of winning. Anyone who promises to improve your chances of winning is deceiving you, the government says.
Additionally, the government warns of fake websites that deceive participants into believing they are submitting their entries for the DV program. The only official website to submit entries is dvlottery.state.gov.
Participants should also be aware that the State Department does not send emails or any other kind of message to inform participants that they won the lottery. The only way to check if you won is to use the confirmation number you received when you submitted your entry and check on the dvlottery.state.gov when the results become available.
The next registration period for the Diversity Visa program (DV-2021) opened on October 2nd, 2019, and ran through November 5th, 2019.
