Fact-check: Is this the correct site for the US Diversity Visa Program 2024? No, it isn’t  

The phishing link is intended to collect personal information of unsuspecting people online.

Writer: Ochaya Jackson

A link circulating on the social media platform WhatsApp purporting to be The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, also known as the Green Card Lottery, a United States government lottery programme for receiving a US Permanent Resident Card for 2022/2023 is false.

“The U.S.A DV Visa Lottery online Application Form 2022/2023 registration exercise which is the quickest way for all Foreigners interested in immigrating legally to live, Study and work in UNITED STATES. The Resident Card Lottery Program also known as Diversity Immigration Visa Lottery program is a chance for 45,000 people from all over the world to become permanent and legal residents of the UNITED STATES, meaning that they can live. work and study in the U.S.A.  Interested Applicants are to visit the Online Registration Portal. The Winners Will Be Drawn From Random Selection And There Is No Cost To Register”, reads the false message containing malicious link. 

Screenshot of the shared WhatsApp message

When applicants click on the link, they are taken to a one-page website with a form that requests their title, name, phone number, email, address, country, and account password.

Screenshot of the forms applicants are asked to fill

After filling out the above information, one is said to be considered for a chance even without sending the confirmation email listed in the form; instead, applicants are asked to forward the message to more WhatsApp friends or groups.

Screenshot of the prompt after filling the form

When 211 Check investigated the claim link, it discovered that it was not the same as the official US Department of State website for the 2024 Diversity Visa Program.

As part of the legitimate processes for qualifying for the opportunity, the malicious website asks three questions: how well do you speak English, what is your employment status, and what age range do you prefer?

The form for filling out personal information requires password information, which is unusual given that it is not for logging in.

And it tempts users to send the message to fifteen friends or five WhatsApp groups before submitting the application.

Comparison with the Electronic Diversity Visa Program

211 Check compared the information requirements entered into the Electronic Diversity Visa Application Entry System on the US Department of State website to the one trending on WhatsApp and discovered that they do not match. The website’s features, terms, and conditions differ from the official information on the United States Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs.

And the U.S. government warned the public of fraudsters’ operations trying to distort the official program for personal gains, according to a notice of fraud warning published on the Department of State website.

“The Department of State, Office of Visa Services, advises the public of a notable increase in fraudulent emails and letters sent to Diversity Visa (DV) program (Visa Lottery) applicants. While DV applicants may receive an email from the U.S. government reminding them to check their status online through DV Entrant Status Check, they will not receive a notification letter or email informing them that they are a successful DV entrant. Applicants can only find out if they were selected to continue with DV processing by checking their status online through the DV Entrant Status Check,” reads the fraud warning.

“The only official way to apply for the DV program is directly through the official U.S. Department of State website during the specified and limited registration period”, it adds. 

The screenshots of the true Electronic Diversity Visa Application System

Whois Information:

The domain information for the phishing link shows that it was registered on 07 April, 2022. A scam is usually apparent when a site is created around the same time it went viral.

Screenshot of the Whois domain information of the linkin circulating on WhatsApp

Conlusion 

The link doing the rounds on WhatsApp about the United States resident card visa lottery 2022/2023 is false mimicking the official U.S. Department of State’s Diversity Visa Program. It is a phishing scam designed to harvest personal information from people online by fraudsters.