The US embassy in Nairobi on Monday issued a warning to Kenyans getting duped into fake marriages to acquire a visa.
Through their official social media pages, the embassy advised caution in the event somebody offers to get you a green card using dubious means.
"Has anyone ever told you they can get a green card for you? Don’t believe them! They are lying and just trying to steal your money. Don’t believe them when they say you can have a fake marriage and still get your green card.
"If you apply with a fake marriage, you will get caught and you will not get your green card. You will become permanently ineligible to ever go to the United States, and you will never be able to get a U.S. visa or a green card," the embassy warned.
[caption caption="File image of an American Visa"]
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Kenyans were further urged Kenyans to apply for a visa or the green card lottery by themselves.
The statement conveyed: "You don’t need to use a fixer to apply for the diversity visa or green card lottery. You can do it yourself and pay the required fee."
The embassy stated that one should only apply through the Embassy's official website.
"If you know about anyone promising they can get a green card for you if you enter into a fake marriage, go to the police and report them. You should also report them to the U.S. Embassy," the statement concluded.
Earlier last week, US Ambassador to Kenya Robert Godec announced that the United States government was gearing up to fight fake news in Kenya adding that it had eroded confidence in Kenya’s real news media.
Speaking during an interview, Godec stated: “Fake news is being weaponized. It’s undermining democracy in Kenya.”
[caption caption="US Ambassador to Kenya Robert Godec"]
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He further remarked: “We’re not asking them to believe any particular thing. We’re just urging people not to take everything they see on their phone via WhatsApp as the truth because it may not be.”
