September 14, 2004 - The American Immigration Lawyers Association today reported that an email is being sent to some people purporting to be from "dvlottery.state.gov", telling people that are "one of the lucky winners" of the DV2004 visa lottery, and requesting that they send $349.67 in "clearance/acceptance fees". These emails are fakes, and should be ignored.

BAL Comment: DV Lottery winners receive official notification by direct mail from the State Department, not by email; the direct mail package includes detailed instructions for paying appropriate fees and for completing the application process.