What kind of scam is "Trump Gold Card Selection Program Nomination"

What kind of email is "Trump Gold Card Selection Program Nomination"?

We have examined this email and concluded that it is a scam. The message impersonates the United States Department of Commerce and falsely claims the recipient has been nominated for the Trump Gold Card selection program. The goal is to trick unsuspecting recipients into paying upfront fees and donations for a nonexistent immigration benefit. This email should be ignored to avoid financial loss.

More about the "Trump Gold Card Selection Program Nomination" scam email

The email presents itself as an official notice from the United States Department of Commerce. It claims the recipient has been nominated for the "Trump Gold Card" selection program, described as an immigration initiative for individuals who can make significant contributions to the United States.

The message promises that meeting its stated requirements could speed up obtaining lawful permanent residence in the U.S., potentially leading to citizenship under the EB-1 or EB-2 visa categories. To qualify, recipients are told to pay a non-refundable processing fee of $3,500 and make a "voluntary" donation of at least $25,500.

The email also mentions a "standard donation" of $1,000,000, presenting all of these demands as routine program requirements. It adds urgency, calling the offer "a selective and time-sensitive opportunity" and urging recipients to confirm receipt of the message immediately.

The message is signed in the name of Howard Lutnick, the real U.S. Secretary of Commerce, whose identity has been stolen to make the email appear credible. Neither Howard Lutnick nor the United States Department of Commerce has any connection to this email. Legitimate government programs do not solicit applicants through unsolicited emails demanding fees.

This is a classic advance-fee scam. There is no nomination, no selection committee, and no immigration benefit. Anyone who responds and pays will receive nothing in return and is likely to face escalating demands for more money.

Similar scam emails in general

In conclusion, this email is an advance-fee scam disguised as an official immigration notice from a U.S. government agency. Its sole purpose is to extract money by falsely claiming the recipient has been nominated for an exclusive program. The email should be deleted immediately and not responded to.

It is worth noting that emails like this are sometimes also used to deliver malware. More examples of similar scam emails are Migration Action Required, Unresolved Inbound Items, and Administrator Update.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Threat actors commonly deliver malware through emails by attaching malicious files or embedding links that lead to harmful websites. These files can appear in many formats: executables, Microsoft Office documents, archives (ZIP, RAR), PDFs, and script files are all used.

Opening an executable typically launches the malware immediately. Document types usually require additional user interaction, such as enabling malicious macro commands, before infection begins. Links in emails may redirect to pages that trigger automatic downloads or instruct the visitor to manually run a file.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Approach all emails from unknown senders with caution, especially if they contain attachments or links. Do not open files or click links in suspicious messages, even if the email appears to come from a legitimate organization or government agency.

Download software only from official developer websites and verified app stores. Avoid pirated programs, key generators, and unofficial activation tools, as these are frequently bundled with malware. Keep your operating system and applications updated to reduce exposure to known security vulnerabilities.

Install reputable antivirus or anti-malware software and run periodic scans. If you have already opened a suspicious attachment, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate any infiltrated malware.

Text presented in the "Trump Gold Card Selection Program Nomination" email letter:

Subject: Immigration Nomination For Trump Gold Card

Dear Nominee,
Congratulations!

We are pleased to inform you that you have been nominated for the Trump Gold Card selection program. This immigration program is aimed at individuals who can make significant contributions to the United States.

If you meet all the requirements and submit the necessary documentation, this recommendation could speed up the process of obtaining lawful permanent residence in the U.S., potentially leading to citizenship under the EB-1 or EB-2 visa categories.

Recommendation Requirements:

Non-refundable processing fee: $3,500 USD
Suggested donation: $25,500 USD or more (standard donation: $1,000,000 USD).

As a nominated candidate, you are required to make a voluntary donation of at least $25,500 USD and pay a non-refundable processing fee of $3,500 USD.

Approved applicants may benefit from expedited processing and privileges associated with lawful permanent residence in the United States.

This is a selective and time-sensitive opportunity. If you wish to proceed, please confirm receipt of this message immediately.

Sincerely,

Howard Lutnick
United States Secretary of Commerce

In partnership with the United States Department of Commerce, the Trump Gold Card urges you to be cautious of fraudulent communications. Official updates will only be sent via verified channels. Do not click on any links or open any attachments in suspicious messages. Verify the authenticity of messages by contacting us directly. The United States Department of Commerce is not responsible for losses due to scams. Stay alert and protect your information.

Full appearance of the "Trump Gold Card Selection Program Nomination" scam email (GIF):

Instant automatic malware removal:

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Quick menu:

• What is Trump Gold Card Selection Program Nomination phishing scam?
• Types of malicious emails.
• How to spot a malicious email?
• What to do if you fell for an email scam?

Types of malicious emails:

Phishing Emails

Most commonly, cybercriminals use deceptive emails to trick Internet users into giving away their sensitive private information, for example, login information for various online services, email accounts, or online banking information.

Such attacks are called phishing. In a phishing attack, cybercriminals usually send an email message with some popular service logo (for example, Microsoft, DHL, Amazon, Netflix), create urgency (wrong shipping address, expired password, etc.), and place a link which they hope their potential victims will click on.

After clicking the link presented in such email message, victims are redirected to a fake website that looks identical or extremely similar to the original one. Victims are then asked to enter their password, credit card details, or some other information that gets stolen by cybercriminals.

Emails with Malicious Attachments

Another popular attack vector is email spam with malicious attachments that infect users' computers with malware. Malicious attachments usually carry trojans that are capable of stealing passwords, banking information, and other sensitive information.

In such attacks, cybercriminals' main goal is to trick their potential victims into opening an infected email attachment. To achieve this goal, email messages usually talk about recently received invoices, faxes, or voice messages.

If a potential victim falls for the lure and opens the attachment, their computers get infected, and cybercriminals can collect a lot of sensitive information.

While it's a more complicated method to steal personal information (spam filters and antivirus programs usually detect such attempts), if successful, cybercriminals can get a much wider array of data and can collect information for a long period of time.

Sextortion Emails

This is a type of phishing. In this case, users receive an email claiming that a cybercriminal could access the webcam of the potential victim and has a video recording of one's masturbation.

To get rid of the video, victims are asked to pay a ransom (usually using Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency). Nevertheless, all of these claims are false - users who receive such emails should ignore and delete them.

How to spot a malicious email?

While cyber criminals try to make their lure emails look trustworthy, here are some things that you should look for when trying to spot a phishing email:

• Check the sender's ("from") email address: Hover your mouse over the "from" address and check if it's legitimate. For example, if you received an email from Microsoft, be sure to check if the email address is @microsoft.com and not something suspicious like @m1crosoft.com, @microsfot.com, @account-security-noreply.com, etc.
• Check for generic greetings: If the greeting in the email is "Dear user", "Dear @youremail.com", "Dear valued customer", this should raise suspiciousness. Most commonly, companies call you by your name. Lack of this information could signal a phishing attempt.
• Check the links in the email: Hover your mouse over the link presented in the email, if the link that appears seems suspicious, don't click it. For example, if you received an email from Microsoft and the link in the email shows that it will go to firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0... you shouldn't trust it. It's best not to click any links in the emails but to visit the company website that sent you the email in the first place.
• Don't blindly trust email attachments: Most commonly, legitimate companies will ask you to log in to their website and to view any documents there; if you received an email with an attachment, it's a good idea to scan it with an antivirus application. Infected email attachments are a common attack vector used by cybercriminals.

To minimise the risk of opening phishing and malicious emails we recommend using Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows. 

Example of a spam email:

What to do if you fell for an email scam?

• If you clicked on a link in a phishing email and entered your password - be sure to change your password as soon as possible. Usually, cybercriminals collect stolen credentials and then sell them to other groups that use them for malicious purposes. If you change your password in a timely manner, there's a chance that criminals won't have enough time to do any damage.
• If you entered your credit card information - contact your bank as soon as possible and explain the situation. There's a good chance that you will need to cancel your compromised credit card and get a new one.
• If you see any signs of identity theft - you should immediately contact the Federal Trade Commission. This institution will collect information about your situation and create a personal recovery plan.
• If you opened a malicious attachment - your computer is probably infected, you should scan it with a reputable antivirus application. For this purpose, we recommend using  Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows.
• Help other Internet users - report phishing emails to Anti-Phishing Working Group, FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, National Fraud Information Center and U.S. Department of Justice.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why did I receive this email?

Scam emails are not targeted at specific individuals. Cybercriminals send them in large batches using addresses collected from data breaches, fake sign-up forms, and similar sources. These messages are generic and sent to many thousands of recipients at once.

I have provided my personal information when tricked by this email, what should I do?

If you shared login credentials, change the passwords for all potentially affected accounts right away and alert their official support teams. If financial details such as credit card or bank account numbers were disclosed, contact your bank or the relevant financial authority immediately.

I have downloaded and opened a malicious file attached to an email, is my computer infected?

The risk depends on the file type. Executable files (.exe and similar formats) can infect a system the moment they are opened. Office documents and PDFs are generally less immediate, but may trigger infection if the user enables macros or interacts with embedded content.

I have read the email but did not open the attachment, is my computer infected?

Simply reading an email is harmless. Infection only occurs when a user takes an active step, such as opening an attachment or clicking a malicious link. Viewing the message without interacting with its content poses no risk.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections that were present in email attachment?

Combo Cleaner can detect and remove the vast majority of known malware. That said, a full system scan is necessary to ensure thorough coverage, as more sophisticated threats sometimes hide deep within the system and may not be caught without one.