From: U.S. Department of State
To: my relative
Sent: Thu, January 20, 2011 8:44:47 PM
Subject: U.S. Department of State – United States Permanent Resident Card for My Relative
U.S. Department of State sent this message to My Relative (xyz@yahoo.com)
Your registered name is included to show this message originated from U.S. Department of State. Congratulations, you’ve won !
Dear My relative ,
Congratulations ! You are among those randomly selected and registered for further consideration in the diversity immigrant program. Selection guarantees that
you will receive a United States Permanent Resident Card(also known as Green Card or Diversity Visa) only if you follow the instructions for further processing.
Acceptance Date: Thursday 20th of January 2011 09:43:30 AM
Winner Name: My Relative
Country of Birth: Nigeria
Phone Number: 234-1-080abcdefgh
Is the Diveristy Visa FREE ?
No. There is a big confusion. Only the participation in the Diversity Visa Lottery was free but the winners must pay the visa processing fees.
The fee is used to process your visa related documents and verify your identity.
Fees:
Type of Residence Card StatusAmount (per person)
United States Permanent Resident CardGranted! – Waiting for payment of processing fee 0
Processing feesIncluded
Total0
INSTRUCTIONS
Please read and follow all the instructions very carefully. With the Diversity Visa (also known as Green Card) you will enjoy all the advantages and benefits of a US 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.
Although you will have all the rights that a U.S. citizen has in the United States, without a relative or friend in the United States you may find the relocation difficult and expensive due the lack of experience in the American society. Therefore the U.S. Government helps you with accommodation options that you may attach to your visa. These options are not free but are sponsored by the U.S. Government so you may find them convenient as they are cheaper, under market price : Option #1 : Health InsuranceAmount (per person)
Freedom HSA Direct Individual Health insurance for 1 year0
Option #2 : DwellingAmount (per apartment)
Apartment in New York, Queens(1 bedroom) for 3 months 0
Option #3 : Guaranteed job Amount (per person)
A 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. 0
Option #4 : Education Amount (per person)
Education for U.S. Students or Higher Education through EducationUSA. It includes transfer to a U.S college or Univeristy so you can continue your educational study. More details can be found at http://educationusa.state.gov/ . 0
We remind you that only the visa processing fee (0) is mandatory and the above options are optional so you are not required to pay any of them. However if you don’t pay now once arrived in the United States you need to manage everything by yourself.
Accompanying family members(wife/husband, fiancee, brothers, sisters, children, 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. There is no discount for children.
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 : Ronald I Brent
Address: 24 Grosvenor Square
London, W1A 2LQ
United Kingdom
The payment must be sent to the above U.S. embassy agent address in United Kingdom because the U.S. Government decided this based on the diplomatic relations with your country. I have omitted my Relative’s details
it couldn’t be a more obvious scam: it is clearly not a government address and they want you to use Western Union to pay money. If a stranger asks you to pay by Western Union it is a scam, you don’t even need to ask for more. In addition: your name is really “My Relative”? And if there were an apartment in Queens for $400 for 3 months you probably could just stuff your shoes into it…
Delete message and forget about it.
No, this is a scam.
Any legitimate notice from US Immigration would come by some form of registered postal mail, not an e-mail.
100% SCAM and this question is asked several times a day. That email is NOT from the State Department. If it’s not from @state.gov it’s NOT an official email. @usa.com is a free email address that scammers love to use
If you did not enter the lottery through http://www.dvlottery.state.gov/ in October 2010 there is NO way you won the lottery. That is the ONLY official site and the ONLY way to apply. And if you did enter through that site, it says right there that winners will not be notified until after 1 May 2011. There are NO other official sites to enter the lottery
And if you win, you do not get an email – you receive a package in the mail to your home address
The US Government DOES NOT accept Western Union payments for any reason and NEVER has to send money to anyone. All fees have to be paid IN PERSON when you go to the embassy for your interview
And think about it – if you won the lottery why would you EVER send money to some random person in the UK??? You have to pay at the US Embassy in YOUR country
DO NOT send money or any information – forward that email to the US Embassy in your country of legal residence who will confirm you were scammed. I suspect you may have entered your details on one of the thousands of fake lottery sites that scammers have created, whose only reason for existence is to contact everyone who gave details to say they won and get them to send money