SUSPICIOUS

Warning signs detected

25-year-old Austrian visa service charging fees for free US government applications, with 593 complaints and mixed Trustpilot reviews.

Security Review

Is usafis.org legit or a scam?

25-year-old Austrian visa service charging fees for free US government applications, with 593 complaints and mixed Trustpilot reviews.

Do this now:Complete US visa and Diversity Visa applications directly through official government websites at travel.state.gov to avoid unnecessary fees. If considering paid assistance, verify exactly what services USAFIS provides versus free government options before submitting payment details.

USAFIS is a legitimate Austrian company that charges fees for US visa and green card lottery help that the government provides for free. Multiple consumer complaints accuse the service of misleading marketing and unnecessary charges. The domain is 25 years old with clean technical scans, but the business model itself draws repeated criticism.

Cross-checked against 9 completed checks 1 raised a concern
usafis.orgScanned 1h ago
57/100
Trust score
0 = danger · 100 = safe
SUSPICIOUS
Score breakdown
Heuristics 62·MT 55
Screenshot of usafis.orgSee the live page ↓
Category tags
visa serviceimmigration assistanceHow sure we are: Moderate
Technical red flags (1)
2 of 92 engines flagged
Positive signals (4)
Not on major blacklistsDomain is 25 years oldEncrypted connectionClean server reputation

These checks passed — but they don't clear the site. A clean antivirus result, valid SSL, and a calm server only mean it isn't hosting malware; they say nothing about whether the business is real. This verdict is based on the site's conduct and content, not a malware detection.

Analysis Summary

Threat Intelligence
2/92
Engines flagged this URL
Domain Age
25 years old
Registered Jun 26, 2001

Website Preview

Screenshot of usafis.org
LIVE RENDER
usafis.org
What our review noticed on this page

Automated page render — captured in a safe sandbox. What an ordinary visitor would see when loading the site. Marker positions are approximate. See full visual analysis →

Visual analysis

We capture a fresh screenshot of the live page and ask a vision model to look for scam visual patterns — fake trust badges, countdown timers, overlay pop-ups, and visual clones of legitimate brands.

20
/ 100
Low visual risk

Visual red flags detected in the screenshot

The website appears to be a standard commercial service provider for US visa assistance with no visible signs of malicious intent or deceptive patterns.

Visual risk20/100

What our vision model saw

4 signals

Professional layout for a visa consultancy service

Standard cookie consent banner at the bottom

Accessibility widget present on the left side

No obvious indicators of phishing or deceptive urgency tactics

Intelligence

Editorial security brief
Intelligence
Elevated risktrust57/100
75%
Confidence
The site presents itself as a paid immigration consultancy helping applicants with Diversity Visa and other US visa programs. The US government runs the Diversity Visa lottery at no cost on travel.state.gov, making USAFIS's paid service unnecessary for many users. Three separate review platforms contain complaints that the company uses aggressive marketing and requests credit card details for services available free elsewhere. The domain itself is 25 years old, hosted on clean infrastructure, and shows no malware or phishing detections. The combination of a legitimate long-running business with persistent consumer complaints about misleading practices places the site in the suspicious category rather than outright malicious.
Risk Factors
3
  • Company charges fees for US visa applications that the government provides for free on travel.state.gov.
  • 593 complaints across review platforms cite misleading marketing and unnecessary charges.
  • Trustpilot reviews specifically mention requests for credit card details including security codes.
Positive Signals
3
  • Domain registered in 2001 and operated by an active Austrian company for 25 years.
  • Clean hosting reputation with zero abuse reports on the serving IP.
  • Valid SSL certificate from GoDaddy with no browser blocklist entries.
Investigation notes

Page Content

The captured page markets USAFIS as a 24-year experienced service helping applicants prepare and submit US visa and Diversity Visa applications. The site offers multiple language options and includes standard navigation for visa types, testimonials, and contact forms. No login forms, countdown timers, or urgency tactics appear on the landing page. The page explicitly states the company is not affiliated with the US government.

Infrastructure

The domain resolves to IP 163.171.213.13 with a zero abuse score and no prior abuse reports. SSL certificate is valid from GoDaddy with 138 days remaining. One of 92 antivirus engines flagged the page as malicious while another marked it suspicious. Browser blocklists show no entries. External scripts load from Google Tag Manager, Google Fonts, and OneSignal for notifications.

Domain History

The domain usafis.org was registered on 2001-06-26 through GoDaddy, giving it an age of 25.1 years. The registrar lists no privacy protection, and the business registration shows the site is operated by PRONET Online Marketing GmbH, an active Austrian company registered in Linz under number FN256018y.

Web Reputation

Trustpilot, Quora, and Reviews.io contain multiple complaints describing the service as unnecessary or fraudulent because the same visa applications are free on official government sites. One Trustpilot review specifically mentions requests for credit card security codes. A single positive review praises the company's thorough application review process. The company has 593 recorded complaints across review platforms.

What this means for you

USAFIS operates as a real business rather than a fly-by-night scam, but the core service duplicates free government processes at a cost. Users considering the service should verify exactly what they receive versus completing applications directly through official US government websites at no charge.

Recommendation
Complete US visa and Diversity Visa applications directly through official government websites at travel.state.gov to avoid unnecessary fees. If considering paid assistance, verify exactly what services USAFIS provides versus free government options before submitting payment details.
Editorial assessment
SpecificEvidence-led

Web Research Findings

Independent findings for usafis.org, including public complaints, named review sources, registration records, and look-alike-domain evidence. A missing result is shown as unverified, never converted into a clean bill of health.

Business registration
Active · Austria
Site traces back to an actively registered business.
Clone check
Not a clone
No well-known site's layout or branding detected here.
Typosquat check
No look-alike match
The domain doesn't resemble any well-known brand's spelling.
Web mentions
3 scam reports · 593 complaints · 1 positive
Key findings
6 headline facts from open-web research
  • USAFIS is a private, for-profit company based in Austria that charges fees to assist with U.S. Diversity Visa (Green Card) lottery applications.
  • The U.S. government provides the Diversity Visa lottery application process for free on its official website (travel.state.gov).
  • The company explicitly disclaims any affiliation with the U.S. government or USCIS on its website.
  • Public sentiment is polarized; some users report successful visa outcomes, while many others label the service as a scam or unnecessary, citing that the same services are available for free.
  • The company has been in operation since 2001, which is significantly longer than typical short-lived scam sites.
  • External reports have identified instances of lookalike domains (e.g., 'usafisnews.org') being used to impersonate the company in phishing attempts.
Scam reports (3)
Direct quotes from public scam databases, forums, and news.
  • Trustpilotopen

    "Fraudulent. They try to convince you to pay fees which is free of charge on the official immigration page. They also ask for credit card information including your three digit security number."

  • Quoraopen

    "Entry on any other site is nothing more than a money making scam and provides your personal details to an organisation which will probably misuse them."

  • Reviews.ioopen

    "This "company" gives you the impression of being very formal and all very legal, but they are nothing more than a telemarketing structure."

Positive reviews (1)
Public quotes that support the operator's credibility.
  • Trustpilotopen

    "I like the way they take their customers applications serious. They contact them to make every mistake on their application form just to ensure that the right thing is done."

Business registration
Status: active · Austria

Operated by PRONET Online Marketing GmbH, Registration Number FN256018y, based in Linz, Austria.

Research summary
Editorial synthesis of the sourced facts above
Trustpilot reviews describe the company as fraudulent for charging fees on applications that are free on official immigration pages and note requests for credit card security codes. Quora users label the service a money-making scam that provides personal details to third parties. Reviews.io calls the operation a telemarketing structure despite its formal appearance. A single Trustpilot review praises the company's thorough application review process.

Domain Timeline

  1. Jun 26, 2001
    Domain registered

    First appeared in WHOIS records — 25 years old today.

  2. Jul 24, 2026
    Latest security review — Flagged as suspicious

    This scan re-ran every check; the current findings are detailed above.

usafis.org is an established domain now carrying threat signals. An older domain that starts tripping security checks is a classic pattern for an asset that was sold, repurposed, or compromised — the age alone is not reassurance.

Threat Detection

Antivirus Engines

Detection matrix · live
2 engines flagged this URL

We cross-check every URL against our antivirus network of 92 malware and blacklist engines. Each detection is listed below by engine name — even a single hit is a meaningful signal.

1Malicious1Suspicious59Harmless92Engines
2
of 92
Chong Lua Dao
Malicious· malicious
Gridinsoft
Suspicious· suspicious

2 antivirus engines flagged this URL. Even a single detection is a meaningful signal — treat this site with extra caution and avoid entering credentials, payment info, or downloading any files.

Security Scans

Blacklist Check
Not flagged on major threat lists

Checked against the major public blocklists used by browsers and security tools — no hits.

Reputation Sources

How this domain rates across independent threat-intelligence and blocklist providers.

Google Safe Browsing
Not listedCheck ↗
VirusTotal
ListedCheck ↗
AbuseIPDB
Not listedCheck ↗

Technical Details

The plumbing behind the site — who registered it, how it’s encrypted, where it’s hosted, and where it links out. A valid certificate or a calm server doesn’t mean the business is honest — scam sites pass these checks too. Use this to corroborate the verdict, not to overturn it.

Contact Verification

We fetched the page and looked for real-world contact details. Legitimate businesses almost always publish an email on their own domain, a phone number, and a postal address. Scam shops usually don't.

What We Found
Has a contact email on its own domain
Emails on site's domaincsr@usafis.org
Phone numbers+1-646-517-6786
Postal addressNot listed
Linked social profiles1
Signal Summary
Contact details look reasonable
  • No postal address visible on the page.
  • Contact email on the site's own domain (csr@usafis.org).
  • Phone number listed (+1-646-517-6786).

Domain & Encryption

Domain History
Age25 years old
RegistrarGoDaddy.com, LLC
RegisteredJun 26, 2001
ExpiresJun 26, 2027
Owner privacyVisible
Encryption Certificate
StatusValid
ProtocolTLSv1.3
IssuerGoDaddy.com, Inc. · Go Daddy Secure Certificate Authority - G2
ExpiresDec 9, 2026 (138d)
Self-signedNo
Hosting & Technology
HostingCDNetworks Inc
Server locationIL
Web serverPWS/8.3.1.0.8
Platform / CMSWordPress

Redirect Chain

Hops
2
Cross-domain
No
Lookalike
No
Punycode
No
  • 1301http://usafis.org/
  • 2301https://usafis.org/
  • 3200https://www.usafis.org/

Server Reputation

Abuse Intelligence
Confidence score0%
Reports on file0
ISPCDNetworks Inc
Usage typeContent Delivery Network

Referenced Domains

Outbound domains this page links to or loads resources from. Each links to its own security scan.

What to do

Proceed with caution

Our automated review flagged enough risk that you should treat this site as unverified.

  • Treat usafis.org as unverified

    Do not enter credentials or send money until you have independently verified the business.

  • Verify the business through independent channels

    Check the company's social profiles, registry records, and search for recent news or reviews that are not hosted on the site itself.

  • Never use irreversible payment methods

    Crypto, gift cards, wire transfers, and cash apps offer zero buyer protection. Use a credit card or PayPal if you must pay.

  • Share your experience

    If you have additional context, drop a comment below or post on the MalwareTips forum.

    Open

Final Verdict

57
Trust / 100
Final Verdict·usafis.org
SUSPICIOUS

USAFIS is a legitimate Austrian company that charges fees for US visa and green card lottery help that the government provides for free. Multiple consumer complaints accuse the service of misleading marketing and unnecessary charges. The domain is 25 years old with clean technical scans, but the business model itself draws repeated criticism.

Complete US visa and Diversity Visa applications directly through official government websites at travel.state.gov to avoid unnecessary fees. If considering paid assistance, verify exactly what services USAFIS provides versus free government options before submitting payment details.

AV engines
92
Domain age
25 yrs
Flagged
2
Scan another URL
Security review completemalwaretips.com/url-scan

Safety FAQ

Common questions, answered directly from the scan data above — so the answers always reflect the latest verdict on this page.

  • usafis.org shows strong warning signs of being a scam site — avoid interacting with it. 2 of 92 security engines flag it (1 as outright malicious). The domain is 25.1 years old through GoDaddy.com, LLC. It may not be an outright scam, but the risk is high enough that you should verify it independently before trusting it with money or data.
  • Proceed with caution — usafis.org scores 57/100 on our trust scale. We found enough warning signals to recommend verifying it through independent channels before entering credentials or money.
  • If you've already paid or handed over details on usafis.org, act quickly. 1) Contact your bank or card issuer immediately and ask to dispute the charge or open a chargeback — the sooner you act, the better your odds. 2) Report the site to the U.S. FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov or the FBI's IC3 at ic3.gov, and in the UK to Action Fraud at actionfraud.police.uk. 3) If you entered a password, change it on usafis.org and anywhere you reused it, and turn on two-factor authentication. 4) Watch your bank and email for follow-up fraud, and keep screenshots as evidence.
  • Often yes, if you act fast. Payments made by credit or debit card can frequently be reversed through a chargeback or dispute — contact your bank right away and explain it was a fraudulent site. Bank transfers and gift-card or voucher payments are much harder to recover, but you should still report them to your bank and to the FTC (reportfraud.ftc.gov) or Action Fraud (actionfraud.police.uk). Avoid any "refund" or "recovery" service that contacts you first — it's usually a follow-up scam.
  • Just viewing a scam page is usually low-risk on an up-to-date browser — the real danger is what it asks you to DO (enter details, download a file, send money). If you downloaded anything, run a full antivirus scan and treat the file as untrusted. If you entered a password or card number, change the password everywhere you reused it and contact your bank.
  • You can report usafis.org through several official channels: the U.S. FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at ic3.gov, and — in the UK — Action Fraud at actionfraud.police.uk. You can also flag it to Google Safe Browsing (safebrowsing.google.com/safebrowsing/report_phish) so other browsers warn about it, and report it to the company being impersonated if there is one. Reporting helps get scam sites taken down faster.
  • Modern scams are built to look convincing. A valid SSL padlock, a polished template, stock photos, fake reviews, and a trust badge can all be added in minutes and prove nothing about who runs the site. Scammers buy cheap domains, clone real designs, and copy legal pages wholesale. That's exactly why an automated review that checks the domain's age, hosting, blacklists, and behaviour — rather than just how the page looks — is more reliable than a first impression.
  • Yes. 2 of 92 antivirus and blocklist engines in our malware network flagged usafis.org, 1 of them as outright malicious. Even a single detection from a reputable engine is a meaningful warning, and multiple detections rarely happen by accident.
  • No — usafis.org is not currently on the major browser blocklist feeds that Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge rely on. Note that blocklists can lag behind brand-new scam domains, so "not listed" is reassuring but not a guarantee on its own.
  • usafis.org is 25.1 years old, registered on June 26, 2001 through GoDaddy.com, LLC. A multi-year registration history is one of the stronger signals against a scam, though it's never a guarantee on its own — established domains can still be misused.
  • Yes — usafis.org presents a valid TLSv1.3 certificate issued by GoDaddy.com, Inc. · Go Daddy Secure Certificate Authority - G2, valid for another 138 days. Important caveat: SSL only encrypts the connection between you and the site — it does not verify who runs it. Almost all scam sites now have valid SSL too, so a padlock alone never means "safe".
  • usafis.org resolves to an IP operated by CDNetworks Inc in IL (Content Delivery Network). Hosting location alone doesn't make a site good or bad — but hosting that doesn't match a brand's claimed country, or that sits on networks known for abuse, is one of the many signals we weigh alongside the verdict above.
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User reviews & comments(0)

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This automated risk assessment reflects the evidence available at scan time. It is informational, not legal advice. Always use your own judgement before sharing personal information or money online.