Increase in Fraudulent Invitations to USA

September 10, 2007

The Consular Section of the US Embassy would like to inform travelers of an increase in fraudulent invitations to the United States offered by individuals posing as conferences, non-governmental organizations, or charitable groups.

The majority of these invitations are distributed over email. The invitations often include requests that participants provide personal information, reserve hotel rooms, and provide deposits in order to reserve their places in the program. In some cases, the organizations make false claims that they will cover all costs including travel once the participants have set up appropriate arrangement.

The fake invitations often inform the recipients falsely that they are assured a United States tourist visa to participate in the conference. A visa cannot be guaranteed or assured nor can it be purchased or distributed by any organization.

Recently, there have been fraudulent programs on “Terrorism Awareness and Poverty Control” requesting that people attend conferences in California and Guinea Bissau. They request personal information as well as hotel reservations in exchange for assurance of easy issuance of visas.

In addition, there are other email scams in which people pretend to issue visas online. They request that individuals submit applications with personal information as well as a $500 deposit per person to secure a US tourist visa. They then send false visa samples over email in order to show that they have obtained a visa. 

How do you avoid being a victim of these scams?

First, you can contact the organizers of the conference. You can reach the organization by contacting them directly over phone or email or you can research them over the internet. In addition, it is recommended to scrutinize all email addresses and websites to make sure that they are valid.

Secondly, you can inquire about the costs required for the conference. The majority of legitimate conferences do not have registration fees that must be paid far in advance. They also do not require that you wire money to individuals or send financial information over email. Likewise, valid conferences will recommend that participants stay at hotels near the conference location. They will not suggest or require that participants stay in hotels in remote areas or cities.

Finally, you can learn about the proper procedure for obtaining a US visa. Each applicant must call the consular section to schedule an interview, fill out an application online, submit the application along with one photo, pay the fee for the interview, and then do an individual interview at a US Embassy or Consulate. Each individual will be interviewed to determine their eligibility for a visa to the United States. For further information, on obtaining a visa to the United States, please visit http://kinshasa.usembassy.gov/

In addition, the Consular Section would like to inform the public that there have been numerous fraudulent schemes concerning the Diversity Visa (DV) lottery. Applicants should be on their guard and should only trust verified information. The schemes are often circulated over email. The notices often guarantee a visa, as well as plane tickets and travel arrangements. They also often request acceptance fees. 

Recently, there have been emails sent out by a company called UniAir falsely claiming that applicants have won an online lottery which includes a plane ticket and a US visa. It requests contact information, photographs and an acceptance fee of $1,082 to be paid to the organization.

There is also another email scam posing as the US Government guaranteeing green cards to the United States; however, the email you are instructed to respond to ends in usa instead of gov. In this case, they also request personal photos and information in order to obtain a visa. 

The legitimate DV lottery has no application fee. All later fees are paid in person at the US Embassy. In addition, all notifications are sent through regular mail in letter form from the Kentucky Consular Center in the United States, not over email. For further information on the DV lottery, please visit http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_1318.html