Social / Search

For travel to the United States on a makeshift basis, including tourism, makeshift employment, explore and exchange.

For foreign citizens who want to live permanently in the United States.

Safety & Security Messages for U.S. visitors to Ukraine.

U.S. Citizens with emergencies, please call +38-044-521-5566

Outside of Office Hours, contact: +38-044-521-5000

Outside of Ukraine: +1-202-501-4444 or +1-888-407-4747

• Internal Revenue Service
• Selective Service Registration
• Social Security
• Veterans Affairs
• Voting

Close

Our Relationship

Meet Marie Yovanovitch, U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine.

Getting Embarked in the U.S.

Economic Data &, Reports

Close

Education &, Culture

Learn more about quality higher-education opportunities in the U.S. that you will not find anywhere else in the world.

Information on our U.S. government-supported Current Grants and Programs.

Four A.I. Sikorsky St.

04112 Kyiv, Ukraine

We receive many inquiries from people who have been defrauded for hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars by Internet contacts they thought were their friends or loved ones. Internet con artists attempt to coax you to send them money. These schemes include lotteries, on-line dating services, offers of immigration or visa assistance, or even requests from a “friend” in trouble. In many cases, scammers troll the Internet for victims, and spend weeks or months building a relationship. Once they have gained their victims’ trust, they create a false situation and ask for money.

Before you send any money, check to see if you recognize any of the following signs that you may be a potential victim of a scam:

You only know your friend or fiance online and may never have met in person.

Photographs of the scammer showcase a very attractive person, and emerge to have been taken at a professional modeling agency or photo studio. If they provide you with a copy of their passport or visa, you can always contact the U.S. Embassy in the country where the passport or visa was issued to check the validity of the document.

The scammer’s luck is exceptionally bad – he or she is in a car crash, or arrested, or mugged, or hammered, or hospitalized. Close family members are dead or incapable to assist. Sometimes the scammer claims to have a youthfull child overseas who is ill or hospitalized.

You have sent money for visas or plane tickets, but they can’t seem to make it to their destinations, citing detention by immigration officials, or other unexpected reasons that prevent them for traveling.

Beware of anyone who requests funds as a requirement to depart another country for the United States – sometimes called a Basic Travel Allowance or BTA. There is no such thing as a BTA. In other cases, your Internet friend will claim a need for a certain amount of money to travel to the United States. Again, there is no such requirement under U.S. law.

The scammer claims to have been born in the United States, but uses poor grammar and spelling indicative of a non-native English speaker.

Marriage/Dating Scams

The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv receives numerous reports from U.S. citizens who have been the victims of a particular type of internet fraud in which the person has sent money to a person or an agency with the agreement that a youthfull woman will visit the United States for the purposes of marriage or examine. Often, these scams will result in requests for enhancing amounts of money for various purposes, including many noted above. Once the U.S. citizen becomes suspicious, the individual or agency will cut off contact. Many of these agencies have existed for years under a diversity of different names and addresses.

Even if the woman you have become acquainted with does exist and it honestly attempting to visit you in the United States, it is unlikely that she will be issued a visa. The U.S. Embassy advises U.S. citizens not to send money to people or agencies who have advertised for these services over the internet. We have no authority to investigate these types of incidents and it is very unlikely that you will recover your money if it turns out you are the victim of a scam.

Legitimate information about obtaining various types of U.S. visas is available for free from the U.S. Embassy website and the Department of State . Extra information about applying for a visa for your fiancee is also available from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service .

If you believe you are the victim of an Internet scam:

• Do not send money. Unluckily, any money you have already sent is most likely not recoverable.
• End all communication with the scammer instantly. If you feel threatened, contact the local police at once. DO NOT attempt to personally recover the funds you have sent.
• Report the matter instantaneously to:

• The Internet Crime Complaint Center , a partnership among the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the National White Cangue Crime Center (NW3C), and the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA).
• If you are in Ukraine, to the local police.
• If the scam originated through a particular website, notify the administrators of that website.

Related movie: Top Ten best free online dating sites for serious relationships