U.S. visa scams: how to check, protect and report

Be careful when someone

• Guarantees approval or lottery selection
• Offers fake work records or papers
• Asks you to keep it secret
• Pushes you to pay right now
• Threatens arrest unless you send money
• Asks for account passwords or verification codes

• Look at the website name in the address bar, not the logo
• The real owner is the last two words of the name, just before the first slash. A name such as "uscis dot gov dot something dot com" belongs to "something dot com", not to USCIS
• Government words somewhere in a web address do not prove the government owns it
• The padlock only means the connection is private. Scammers can have it too
• Start from the official USCIS or State Department visa pages, or an embassy from the official embassy list, then follow their links

• A form preparer, recruiter, translator or consultant is not automatically allowed to give legal advice
• If someone says they are a lawyer, verify the license with the licensing authority
• If someone says they are an accredited representative, check the official accreditation records
• Ask for a written agreement with the service, the price and the refund terms
• Never sign blank forms
• Read the finished application before it is submitted and get a copy

• Compare any amount with the current official instructions
• Ask which part is the government fee and which is the private service charge
• Be very careful if you are asked to pay by gift cards, cryptocurrency or a personal transfer, or under threats
• If a message says you must pay at once, contact the agency yourself through its official website
• For the DV lottery, use the current year's official fee instructions. Older "always free" information does not prove that a newer official fee is fake

• Keep your own confirmation numbers, application copies, receipts and account-recovery details
• Never share passwords or one-time codes
• Give a verified service only the identity documents it really needs
• If a real representative files for you, make sure you understand the submission and keep access to its records
• Never allow invented answers or fake documents to be filed in your name

• Stop sending more money
• Contact your bank, card company or payment provider and ask if it can be reversed. Recovery is not guaranteed
• Save messages, screenshots, receipts, dates and website names
• Change passwords and secure your recovery methods
• If identity details were exposed, see IdentityTheft.gov
• Report it at ReportFraud (FTC) and use the agency's own reporting page for immigration fraud. Consider the police if money was stolen or you were threatened