U.S. Embassy Raises Red Flag Over Fraudulent Claims On DV Lottery

By K. Ericson Sayee

The United States Embassy near Monrovia has advised Diversity Visa Lottery applicants to remain vigilant against fraudulent emails, websites, and letters claiming to be part of the lottery application process.

In the information released on Tuesday, October 8, 2024, the US Embassy noted that scammers are known to pose as the U.S. government in these schemes to extract funds or access banking information, reminding applicants that there is no fee to apply for Diversity Visas and the U.S. government does not request any payments via email or letter.

 "For detailed information about entry requirements, along with frequently asked questions about the program, please see the instructions for the DV-2026 Diversity Visa lottery at https://dvprogram.state.gov/ ,” the release instructed.

 Meanwhile the U.S. Embassy has announced the opening of the 2026 Diversity Visa Lottery Program often called the “Green Card Lottery,” DV-2026 which is the only official lottery program for immigrant visas to the United States.

Additionally, the Embassy statement explained that registration began at noon Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on Wednesday October 2, 2024, and ends at noon Eastern Standard Time (EST) on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, stating that no entries will be accepted after noon EST on November 5, 2024.

According to the release, the annual U.S. government-sponsored program affords more than 50,000 immigrant visas to people from countries across the globe, including Liberia with historically low rates of immigration to the United States.”

However, the statement said that every year countless Liberians are duped by unscrupulous visa vendors who seek to make profit by perpetuating disinformation about the DV process, adding that spouse and children inclusion doesn't affect any applicant applying for the DV because the process is done randomly.

"The Diversity Immigrant Visa randomly selects applicants, based on allocations of available visas in each region and country, from all registered entries. Marital status and the presence of children on the application have no impact on selection,” the embassy release added.

The embassy warned that it is not advisable for one to include someone else's children on the application, stating that the process only allows applicants biological, stepchildren, and legally adopted children under the age of 21 years.

The release emphasized that there is no minimum age requirement to play the lottery, adding "There is no minimum age requirement to enter the DV lottery. However, you must be a high school graduate or its U.S equivalent. You will also be asked to present your WAEC scores at your visa interview".

It said that the process doesn't require any lottery fees, disclosing that the program is free as applicants are accepted electronically only through https://dvprogram.state.gov/.

The United States Embassy advised those playing or participating in this year's lottery program to have legitimate documents because the US Government will not accept any false documents from candidates applying for a visa to travel to the US.

 "Presenting false documents to a U.S. official is a crime under U.S. law, and depending on the type of fake documents submitted, it could also violate Liberian law. Submitting false documents could also result in a lifetime ban on any future travel to the United States," the release warned.