It's time for another episode of “stupid advance fee scams that target the gullible.” This time, the scammers pretend to represent the US Government. Yes, this is the “Congratulation! You have received an OFFICIAL USA Green Card Letter.” scam-mail. This letter would have you believe that the US government is awarding Green Cards to email address holders…and is using mail.com (a free email service) to process its award notifications. Read on for the email, analysis and chuckles.
Office # 1793 14781 Memorial Drive Houston, TX 77079 USA From the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs Visa Services: www.usagreencardlottery.org Case Number: 411DVL2H23320L1 Preferences Categories: DV DIVERSITY Foreign State Chargeability: Asia-Pacific Dear Winner. We wish to notify you that you are among the selected lucky winners of the U.S visa lottery (Green Card) through our email ballot lottery program held on the 20th of October 2007 in Arkansas (USA) The Green Card email ballot lottery program was conducted under the terms of Section 203 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) Section 131 of the Immigration Act of 2006 (Pub.L.101-649) The aims and objectives of the program is to give free visas to citizens of developing countries around the world who wishes to travel to U.S and start a new life and work. Selection. 6.3 million email addresses were randomly extracted during the 33-days extraction period that ran from 12.00 AM on September 10, 2007 until midnight, October, 9 2007. All extracted email addresses were assigned to different ticket numbers for representation and privacy for final selection through computer draw system, your email address attached to ticket number 56402-188 drew the lucky numbers which subsequently won you the U.S Green Card. Notification is through the selected winning email addresses with the PA names, approximately six hundred and twenty five (625) lucky selected winners had been notified through their selected winning email addresses. All the selected lucky winners will need to obtain their visas from any of the U.S Embassies and arrive here in the USA for the issuance of their Green Cards under the U.S Government Green Card lottery program and they should act on their visa claim application quickly before the expiration of the visa claim extended deadline which is on the (20-1-2008) The visas have been apportioned among the six geographic regions with a maximum of seven percent available to persons born in any single country, our Green Card experts had been apportioned among the six geographic regions. Your visa duration is 10 years multiple entries to the U.S, it is renewable upon expiration and it permits you to travel to the U.S with your spouse. Basic question. How can I make the claim of my visa? You will obtain your visa through the U.S Consular officer in your home country or any of the U.S Embassy nearest to you with your Green Card Certificates and visa claim application documents and arrive here in U.S for the issuance of your Green Card. Selected lucky winners living legally in the United States who wish to pursue their Green Card status should contact any of our regional offices where their winning details falls for information's on the requirements and procedures. Visa claim application (step 1) Your Green Card winning details falls within our Asia/pacific booklet representative office as indicated in the draw system and we have forwarded your winning details to our Asia/Pacific office for the processing of your Green Card Certificates and visa claim application documents with your case number which will enable you to obtain your visa, therefore, FOR YOUR VISA PROCESSING FORM, REQUIREMENTS AND FURTHER DETAILS, contact our Asia/pacific Region Processing Office with the below contact details; CONTACT PERSON: MR.MICHAEL MORROW Address: 377 Wichayanond Road, Chiang Mai 50300, Thailand Tel: +66-26-5343 29 Hotline +66-8 471 060 74. Fax: +66-2- 234 9834 Email: region.office@sfax.ws Processing Fee. $755USD What is processing fee? The processing fee pays for the accuracy preparation of every document. Green card experts charges a nominal fee to cover administrative and processing costs incurred in conjunction with the careful processing of every document. Advanced question. How can I pay the processing fee? The following forms of payment are accepted, Money orders Bank transfers Western Union The payment of the processing fee should be directed to any of our regional office where your winning details falls for the processing of your Green Card Certificates and visa claim application documents. According to J.Stevenson Wilson, Author of Visa Lottery services Report, the green card Lottery is a matter of huge benefits for those who want to try themselves abroad. The total average fee charged by green card lottery services ($755USD) for one person,there is no correlation between the fee charged and the quality of services provided and its benefits. Benefits. Winners will get FREE Airline Ticket to the USA. people that win this Lottery will get the constant legal status of the US inhabitant, an opportunity of free country entrance and departure, the right to be working in the USA legally and getting American salary. You may have any job in America, whether it is a government, public or private job. A permanent residence visa (as well as American work visa) eases your life. In addition to permanent legal residence Green Card holders also receive health, education, retirement, taxation, social security and other benefits. Non-Eligible Countries. Selected winners from the following countries are not eligible to make the claim of their visas. (Mexico-Brazil-Canada-Haiti-Columbia-Elsalvador-Jamaica-Poland-Peru-Korea-Dominican Republic-Philippines-Vietnam-Taiwan-China (mainland born) Russia and United-Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent countries) This is because each has more than 50, 000 candidates in the USA. US Embassies and Consulates. US Embassies and consulates does not issue Green Cards, they issue all types of visas after visa interview, you will obtain your visa from any of the US Embassy when directed and arrive here in the USA for the issuance of your Green Card. All selected lucky winners should follow the instructions in their notification letter and must fully complete the information requested and should go to the U.S Embassy when directed with their Green Card acknowledgement processed documents and interview appointment letters for the issuance of their visas. Please read and follow all the enclosed instructions very carefully. Do not reply back to this notification email (busy) Sincerely yours, Mrs.Jesica Morre. (Secretary General U.S Consulate-Kentucky) -- 10 Great Gift Ideas - Take a Look! mail.com Shopping
Again, the scammers have increased the boundaries of audacity to claim to represent the US government. If you are wanting a US Green Card, this email is targeted for you. Should you be convinced that the US is randomly sending email notifications using a free email service … well… lets just say that travel abroad is probably not the best thing for you to engage in; stay home near people who can look out for your best interests.
Some observations:
- “Congratulation!”
Ah, yes. This mistaken singularization of the idiomatic plural exclamation, “congratulations!” is a standard tip-off that the sender is either not a native English speaker/writer or is not proofreading their “official documentation.” Either case indicates this is likely not a US Government document.
- Selection: random e-mail addresses chosen from pool of 6.3 million.
This is probably the only true item in this scam-mail. The scammers have access to a small database of 6.3 million addresses harvested from various means. In my case, the email address used is one that I have posted in a very conspicuous place on one of the most popular community web sites on the Internet. Any mail to that address is likely spam/scam. I redirect to GMail to handle the extreme amount of junk. It is highly unlikely that the US Government uses random e-mail address selection methods to determine Green Card holders.
- “Processing Fee. $755USD”
Forgetting that the proper designation of USD currency amounts is “USD$755″, this is the profit part of the scam. To obtain this “Free” Green Card you've “won” just submit a nominal fee of “USD$755″ to insure careful processing. I assume the fee ensures “accuracy processing” on the same scale as the professionally produced email notification we are now reading. Perhaps we should send an extra amount to improve the “accuracy processing.”
- Since when is there a US Consulate in Kentucky?
- “10 Great Gift Ideas – Take a Look!”
How helpful! A free Green Card for $USD755, a free airline ticket to the US, and helpful shopping hints from Mail.com, the free email service used by the US Government to notify me of winning the Green Card lottery!
These confidence games via email are so ridiculous. Unfortunately, they WORK. I know people are confused when they receive these scam-mailings. My previous article on a scam-mail, The Catholic Church (Italy) is giving out donations!, is by far the most requested page on my site. I put this article up as a service to those people hoping to come to the US legally so that if they are able to find this page they can be saved the loss of USD$755 (and worse!).
