A post along with a link is being shared on social media claiming to be that of the online registration portal for the American visa lottery which is offered under the diversity immigrant visa program.
The post is being shared on Facebook with a caption that reads, “AMERICAN VISA LOTTERY ONLINE REGISTRATION 2021 NOW OPEN!!! Take the chance of living in the USA and apply for the official US Green Card Lottery!”
Here’s the link to the above post.
Check similar posts here, and here.
FACT CHECK
NewsMobile fact-checked the above claim and found it to be FAKE.
What is Diversity Visa Program?
Each year, America’s Department of State conducts a random selection of Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) applicants from all registered entries, based on allocations of available visas in each region and country. Some people call this program the ‘visa lottery’. The winners, picked at random, win the chance to apply to become lawful permanent residents.
Accordingly, the Department of State publishes detailed instructions for entering the DV Program every year. Anyone who wishes to apply should submit their application electronically on the Electronic Diversity Visa (E-DV) website during the specified registration period. It is noteworthy to mention that this website does not become active for submitting any entry until the date and time specified on the DV Instructions.
When we click on the viral link, it redirects us to a page that clearly states, “Deceptive site ahead.”
Further, as per the ‘Whois.com’, the domain of the web address provided in the post is registered in April 2021 in Iceland. This proves that the website provided in the post is nothing but a fraud website, as the domain address is different from an actual US government website. US government official websites end with ‘.gov’.
We also found out that in the wake of fraudulent incidents where scamsters are tricking people using dubious websites regarding the diversity immigration visa program, US Federal Trade Commission has categorically stated that ‘The only place to enter the U.S. Diversity Visa Lottery is dvlottery.state.gov.’
We also came across a statement by the US Embassy in Sweden that has also reiterated the above-mentioned points regards Diversity Visa Lottery scams. More information regarding the Diversity Visa frauds can be obtained from here.
Thus, it is evident from the above information that a fraudulent website is in circulation as the US Diversity Visa Lottery registration portal.
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