Syndicated Story by PesaCheck

A Facebook post inviting interested individuals to apply for the US Diversity Visa Lottery for 2021 is a HOAX.

“The Green Card unlocks the door to the United States for thousands of USA fans every year. It allows the lucky Green Card winners permanent residence as well as an unlimited work permit for the USA,” the post states.

It then provides a link to a website, where users can apply for the lottery programme.

A similar post was shared on Facebook as seen here.

However, upon clicking on the link provided, the user is redirected to a page with the notification “Deceptive Site Ahead.” Also, the said link asks applicants to call or WhatsApp on +233557576745.

A further search on WHOIS reveals that the fake website was registered on 21 April 2021, under the domain name visalottery.online in Iceland.

According to the US Department of State — Bureau of Consular Affairs, the US Diversity Visa 2021 applicants will be notified about their interview in accordance with the phased resumption of the visa services framework.

“All DV-2021 diversity visa program applicants must be found eligible for, and obtain, their visa or adjust status by the end of fiscal year 2021 (September 30, 2021),” the agency notes on its website.

The Bureau also posts a fraud warning on the site, advising applicants on relevant links from which to get information pertaining to the lottery programme and cautioning them not to fall prey to various scams.

Similarly, the US Federal Trade Commission has indicated that applicants can only enter the US Diversity Visa Lottery programme via dvlottery.state.gov and therefore invalidates the site with the claim.

PesaCheck has looked into a Facebook post inviting applicants for the US Diversity Visa Lottery registration for 2021 and finds it to be a HOAX.

This post is part of an ongoing series of PesaCheck fact-checks examining content marked as potential misinformation on Facebook and other social media platforms.

By partnering with Facebook and similar social media platforms, third-party fact-checking organisations like PesaCheck are helping to sort fact from fiction. We do this by giving the public deeper insight and context to posts they see in their social media feeds.

Have you spotted what you think is fake news or false information on Facebook? Here’s how you can report. And, here’s more information on PesaCheck’s methodology for fact-checking questionable content.

This fact-check was written by PesaCheck fact-checker Cynthia Kanyali and edited by PesaCheck chief copy editor Rose Lukalo. The article was approved for publication by managing editor Enock Nyariki.

PesaCheck is East Africa’s first public finance fact-checking initiative. It was co-founded by Catherine Gicheru and Justin Arenstein, and is being incubated by the continent’s largest civic technology and data journalism accelerator: Code for Africa. It seeks to help the public separate fact from fiction in public pronouncements about the numbers that shape our world, with a special emphasis on pronouncements about public finances that shape government’s delivery of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) public services, such as healthcare, rural development and access to water / sanitation. PesaCheck also tests the accuracy of media reportage. To find out more about the project, visit pesacheck.org.

PesaCheck is an initiative of Code for Africa, through its innovateAFRICA fund, with support from Deutsche Welle Akademie, in partnership with a coalition of local African media and other civic watchdog organisations.