A warning has gone out over an e-mail lottery scam, which cons people into thinking they have won a US visa.

The US Embassy yesterday urged people to ignore the e-mail, along with fake websites posing as official US Government sites.

In a statement, the embassy said it had received multiple reports of e-mails being sent to Bahraini residents claiming they had been granted immigrant visas through the Diversity Visa Lottery.

'Additionally, there have been a number of instances recently in which fraudulent websites have posed as official US Government sites and have sought payment in order to complete and submit Diversity Visa Lottery application forms,' it said.

'The US Embassy reminds citizens and residents of Bahrain that there is no charge to download and complete the Diversity Visa Lottery application form.

'Additionally, the Department of State informs successful Diversity Visa Lottery applicants only by letter; notifications are not sent by e-mail or other social media.'

For information about the Diversity Visa Lottery programme, visit https://travel.state.gov/visa. Any questions about the programme or the visa application process can also be e-mailed to ManamaConsular@state.gov.

The embassy also urged people visiting the US this summer to apply for visas early, due to the busy travel season.-TradeArabia News Service