Is a Green Card lottery notification I received by email or phone real?
Almost certainly not. The only official DV Lottery notification is through the government's own website — never by email, phone, or postal mail.
Last reviewed: 1 August 2026
Explanation
The US Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery — commonly called the Green Card Lottery — is administered by the US Department of State. Legitimate results are checked only at dvprogram.state.gov by the applicant. The government does not notify winners by email, text, or phone. Scammers send congratulatory emails or make calls claiming you have won and then ask for fees to process your immigration paperwork. Paying them results in financial loss and no visa. Even if you never entered the lottery, you may receive such messages — criminals mass-send them hoping to find interested recipients.
Fraudulent 'visa agencies' build entire storefronts around the lottery — official-looking portals, application tracking, congratulations letters with seals and case numbers — and charge for each fabricated stage. Some collect passport scans and personal histories during 'processing', converting a fee scam into identity theft. The messages circulate worldwide and in many languages precisely because hope travels further than familiarity with US procedure.
The programme's real design makes every check simple: entry is free, results are checked only by you on the official site using your own confirmation number, and no third party is notified of a win — so anyone contacting you about winning has, by definition, no knowledge of your entry. That single fact disposes of every variant.
Common red flags
- You received an email or phone call saying you won the DV Lottery
- A fee is required to claim your green card or continue processing
- Message contains urgent deadlines to prevent your prize from lapsing
- Email address or sender does not end in .gov
What to do now
- Check your actual DV Lottery status only at dvprogram.state.gov
- Do not pay any fee to a private company claiming to process your visa
- Report the fraud email or call to the FTC and the US State Department
Frequently asked questions
Are any companies that help with DV Lottery applications legitimate?
Some companies assist with completing the (free) application form, but you are not required to use them, and no company can improve your odds. Never pay anyone to 'claim' a win — that step is done entirely through the official government website.
I never entered the lottery at all — why am I being told I won?
Because the messages are sent blind to enormous address lists. The senders have no idea who entered; they rely on some recipients wanting it to be true. Treat any such notification as spam and do not engage.