The bogus sites woo potential applicants to submit money to qualify for the Diversity Visa (DV or Green Card) lottery which Christopher Green, the Consul of the US embassy in Colombo says is free for every applicant.
Green says campaigns to promote the lottery and educate Sri Lankans on hoaxes will be launched in the coming months in other cities of the island.
Last year, out of the 50,000 applicants chosen worldwide, 318 have been Sri Lankan applicants.
Green says over 10 million applicants apply for the DV lottery each year which enables chosen applicants to legitimately enter USA as legal immigrants.
It also entitles them to social benefits and employment schemes US citizens enjoy.
It also gives people who were unable to immigrate th