Scam, fraud and spam from usafis.org: "USAFIS Organization - DiversityVisa (DV) winner" and "U.S. Department of State - Permanent ResidentCard for vasya pupkin" e-mails from gov.states.visa@usa.com

"USAFIS Organization - Diversity Visa (DV) winner" and "U.S. Department of State - Permanent Resident Card for vasya pupkin" e-mails from gov.state.visa@usa.com and gov.states.visa@usa.com

A friend of mine received a couple of messages from usafis.org. The first e-mail was from gov.state.visa@usa.com:

Date: 2011/2/21
Subject: USAFIS Organization - Diversity Visa (DV) winner
To: vasya pupkin <vasyapupkin@gmail.com>

vasya pupkin , You accepted to receive messages from USAFIS Organization on the following date: 2009-11-08T10:56:21.563


We wish to notify you that you have been selected as one of the Diversity Visa (DV) Program winner for receiving a United States Permanent Resident Card. It is also known as the Green Card Lottery. The lottery has been administered on an annual basis by the Department of State and conducted under the terms of Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
Section 131 of the Immigration Act of 1990 (Pub. L. 101-649) amended INA 203 to provide for a new class of immigrants known as "diversity immigrants" (DV immigrants).
As part of the agreement we will issueВ  A FREE Airline ticket from your country to the USA to claim your Green Card under the American Green Card Lottery Program. The ticket will be sent via post mail at your address registered with us once your visa will beВ  remitted by the U.S department of State.
The U.S Department of State will should contact you soon with visa processing information and how to proceed further.

If you have any question regarding the visa please wait for the U.S Department of State to contact you as we do not have any competency to discuss further details with you.
What should you do now ?
Wait for the U.S Department of State to contact you and give you the information about visa processing and how to proceed further .


Best regards,
Costumer Service Team

The USAFIS Organization

You accepted to receive messages from USAFIS Organization on the following date: 2009-11-08T10:56:XX.XXX

For reference, your computer IP: XXX.XXX.XX.XXX was recorded to confirm your registration
To no longer receive messages from USAFIS Organization, please click the following link: Click Here
Send a postal request to: USAFIS Organization 2576 Broadway # 443 New York, NY 10025 U.S.A

U.S. Department of State gov.states.visa@usa.com scam e-mail

And the second e-mail was from gov.states.visa@usa.com:

From: U.S. Department of State <gov.states.visa@usa.com>

Date: 2011/2/21
Subject: U.S. Department of State - Permanent Resident Card for vasya pupkin
To: vasya pupkin <vasyapupkin@gmail.com>

U.S. Department of State sent this message

to vasya pupkin (vasyapupkin@gmail.com)

Your registered name is included to show this message originated from U.S. Department of State.

В  Congratulations, you've won !

Dear vasya pupkin , 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: Monday 21st of February 2011 07:17:03 PM Winner Name: vasya pupkin Country of Birth: Russia Phone Number: 7-XXX-XXXXXXX

Is the Diversity 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 Status Amount (per person) United States Permanent Resident Card Granted! - Waiting for payment of processing fee $880 Processing fees Included Total $880 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 the accommodation and offers you along with each visa Health Insurance (Freedom HSA Direct Individual Health insurance for 1 year), Dwelling(Apartment in any city you prefer, 1 bedroom for 3 months ), a guaranteed 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. ) and 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/ .) We remind you that only the visa processing fee ($880) is mandatory and the visa is guaranteed upon receiving the payment. 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 and each member(e.g wife, brother, parents, children, cousin) must pay $880. 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 : John Roberts  Address: 24 Grosvenor Square London, W1A 2LQUnited 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. В  В  After you send the payment follow the next steps : a) Email copy/scan of the Western Union receipt at gov.state.visa@usa.com b) Email at gov.state.visa@usa.com with the following details (you can find them on the money transfer receipt): 1) Money Transfer Control Number (MTCN): 2) Exact sender's name on file with Western Union: 3) Exact sender's address on file with Western Union: 4) Exact receiver's name on file with Western Union: 5) Amount sent: Then wait for the confirmation that the payment was received. Within 72 hours, you will receive a confirmation via email with your Case Number/Confirmation Number and exact date and time(approx. 2 days) of the final interview. Upon successful interview you will receive your documents and travel information to move in the United States. Under no circumstances your visa status won't be affected by the interview. В

В В Important Notice! The payment must be sent via Western Union no later than March 8, 2011. You are strongly encouraged not to wait until the last day to pay. Heavy demand may result in system delays. Under no circumstances can diversity visas be issued or adjustments approved after this date, nor can family members obtain diversity visas to follow-to-join the principal applicant in the U.S. after this date. The visa processing fee(US$ 880) is mandatory for each person and the U.S. Government doesn't offer any discount, loan or exception. You have been selected winner of the Diversity Visa lottery so the visa is guaranteed upon receiving the payment fees on time. A hard copy of this letter will be mailed to your postal address upon receiving the payment fees. Please be advised that even through you are a winner of Diversity Visa your Case Number/Confirmation Number will be provided only after you send the payment confirmation of the fees. Please do not contact us to ask for the Case Number/Confirmation Number. If it would be necessary to contact the U.S. Department of state YOU MUST ALWAYS REFER TO YOUR NAME. The email address is gov.state.visa@usa.com CONFIDENTIALITY STATEMENT: AUTHORITIES: The information asked for on this form is requested pursuant to Section 222 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Section 222(f) provides that the records of the Department of State and of diplomatic and consular offices of the United States pertaining to the issuance and refusal of visas or permits to enter the United States shall be considered confidential and shall be used only for the formulation, amendment, administration, or enforcement of the immigration, nationality, and other laws of the United States. Certified copies of such records may be made available to a court provided the court certifies that the information contained in such records is needed in a case pending before the court. PURPOSE: The U.S. Department of State uses the facts you provide on this form primarily to determine your assification and eligibility for a U.S. immigrant visa. Individuals who fail to submit this form or who do not provide all the requested information may be denied a U.S. immigrant visa. Although furnishing this information is voluntary, failure to provide this information may delay or prevent the processing of your case. ROUTINE USES: If you are issued an immigrant visa and are subsequently admitted to the United States as an immigrant, the Department of Homeland Security will use the information on this form to issue you a Permanent Resident Card, and, if you so indicate, the Social Security Administration will use the information to issue a social security number. The information provided may also be released to federal agencies for law enforcement, counterterrorism and homeland security purposes; to Congress and courts within their sphere of jurisdiction; and to other federal agencies who may need the information to administer or enforce U.S. laws.

Are e-mails from gov.state.visa@usa.com and gov.states.visa@usa.com a scam or fraud?

Basically the e-mails ask you to send USD $880 to

Name : John Roberts
Address: 24 Grosvenor Square
London, W1A 2LQ
United Kingdom

using Western Union. This is definitely a scam. Can you believe that the U.S. government can ask you to send any money using a person-to-person transfer? And can you believe that you need to send them to the U.K.?

The scammer uses a nice trick with

U.S. Department of State
gov.states.visa@usa.com

and

gov.state.visa@usa.com

Note that usa.com is a private domain name owned by World Media Group LLC, so it doesn't belong to the U.S. government.
The U.S. government uses .gov domains, not .org, not .com domains. The U.S. department of State uses the www.state.gov domain. If you don't know anything about domain names, ask a computer savvy person to help you.
As you can see the beginning of the gov.states.visa@usa.com and gov.state.visa@usa.com e-mail addresses tries to imitate www.state.gov, although the reversed order is used. This is indeed confusing for novice users.

p.s. I also like

Best regards,
Costumer Service Team
The USAFIS Organization

Costumer Service LOL

How to avoid DV Lottery (Green card lottery) scams and frauds

If you want to participate in a DV lottery (Green card lottery) or check whether you have won the green card or not, use the official DV lottery web-site (U.S. Department of State). Or search for the "U.S. Department of State" with google.

Do NOT use any companies like usafis.org. The application process on the www.dvlottery.state.gov is pretty simple. Even if you have any questions about it, ask you friends or ask in one of the immigration forums.

Also note that if you will become a winner in the DV lottery (green card lottery), you should receive a letter (not just an e-mail, but a physical letter) from the U.S. Department of State. And you will be able to check your status on www.dvlottery.state.gov for FREE!

How to report DV Lottery (Green card lottery) scam or fraud to U.S. civil or criminal law enforcement agency

Got e-mails from scammers like the ones from gov.state.visa@usa.com and gov.states.visa@usa.com? Do not just delete them. Make copies of these e-mails with headers and report the fraud to an U.S. civil or criminal law enforcement agency. You can easily do it online:
How to report a scam or fraud to U.S. government (civil and criminal law enforcement agency) online?