STATEMENT OF WORK

2024 Visa Fraud Prevention Campaign Project Description

The U.S. Embassy San Salvador’s Consular Section seeks to design and implement a media campaign to educate Salvadorans interested in working temporarily in the United States about how to recognize fraudulent U.S. temporary work visa offers (H-2 visas) and inform them of the benefits and legitimate methods and sources on how to apply for a U.S. temporary work visa.

Areas of focus:

• Understand the legitimate H-2 visa recruitment and application process;
• Recognize the methods scammers use to attract interested workers like identifying fraudulent work visa offers.

Examples of methods used by scammers:

• Promise victims work visas without the interested worker having a valid passport;
• Communicate solely through social media or WhatsApp chats falsely representing themselves as agents of the U.S. Embassy;
• Send victims QR codes leading them to false websites purporting to contain a worker’s “approved visa” in exchange for a fee;
• Send screen shots of the interested worker’s “approved visa” and a false U.S. social security card in the worker’s name;
• Request large sums of money via bank transfers or remittances to continue with the process.

In contrast, the legitimate process:

• Requires a valid passport;
• Requires a contract with a legitimate U.S. company who is approved to hire foreign workers;
• A legitimate recruiter or employer is able to explain all aspects of the job, location, salary, and work time frame;
• Does not require any money from the applicant beyond possibly the $205 visa fee – which must be reimbursed by the U.S. employer upon starting work in the United States;
• Requires payment of the visa fee through official U.S. Embassy pay sites, not payment through bank transfers or to private parties.

The Consular Section aims to educate applicants on how to avoid becoming victims of fraud and ensure the H-2 temporary work visa program benefits the worker – not the scammers.

The campaign will be implemented over a three-month period from November 2024 – February 2025.

Campaign Objective:

1. Educate applicants on the proper way to apply for a temporary work visa and make the U.S. Embassy’s H-2 Visa Hub webpage the first point of contact in an interested worker’s visa application process.

Target Audience:

• Interested seasonal/temporary work visa applicants and the general public located in the three zones of the country: the Occidental zone with focus in Metapan city; the Central zone with focus in San Vicente city; and the Oriental zone with focus in Morazan. .
• Focus will be on working age adults with special emphasis (approximately 70%) on those adults aged 31-55 and lesser emphasis (approximately 30%) on those adults aged 18-30.

Scope:

The contractor will be responsible for identifying the best mix of all media outreach sources (social, traditional, in-person outreach, and other) to convey the campaign message and best meet the campaign objectives. Examples of products include, but are not limited to: interactive social media guides, motion 2D characters, instructional animated videos, human spokespersons, and radio advertising spots that support the campaign objectives. As the scammers are finding their victims via social media advertising, using social media to counter their efforts will be key. Additionally, the contractor will contemplate undertaking in-person outreach events in departments of the country with high rates of fraud.

Campaign material components will be customized to display on specific platforms, such as web applications and traditional media. This feature will allow the agency to create tailored banners and editions for specific, targeted audiences, ensuring an optimal user experience across all devices and platforms.

The U.S. Embassy will reserve all rights to advertising materials developed for the campaign. The campaign materials must be designed to promote the credibility of the U.S. Embassy as the only entity with the authority to issue a visa. The contractor must identify all media outlets that feature programming and/or advertisements related to U.S. visas.

Style and Tone:

Throughout past campaigns our message has been shared in a colloquial and upbeat tone as an effective way to create resonance. The information shared should always be educational and informative, coming from an official U.S. government source, with the purpose of informing visa applicants on how to recognize a scam offer versus a legitimate offer and where to find official sources of information.

Schedule and Budget:

The overall budget will be $100,000, which includes up to $10,000 for a metrics and validation study to determine the effectiveness of the campaign as compared with pre-campaign through post-campaign.

• August 16: Embassy procurement announces requests for proposals from interested publicity agencies.
• September 13: Closing of procurement request for interested publicity agencies.
• September 20: Contractor delivers marketing proposal and campaign materials to U.S. Embassy for review by CONS and development of final marketing.
• September 25: Contractors present their proposals to the U.S. Embassy.
• September 26: Selection of contractor by U.S. Embassy.
• September 30: Contractor to initiate campaign design and layout.
• November 1: Campaign launch.
• February 1: Campaign conclusion.
• March 1: Contractor delivers campaign results and metrics study.

Results:

Once the campaign concludes, the contractor must determine the campaign’s effectiveness by conducting a market validation study. The contractor will be responsible for proposing a metrics study based on accuracy, cost, and the number of people reached. This evaluation stage of the campaign should focus on the following outcomes:

• Percentage of audience that was aware of the work visa program and how to enroll – before and after the campaign to determine effectiveness of the campaign.

• Percentage of the audience that was aware of work visa scams and how to recognize the scammers methods – before and after the campaign to determine effectiveness of the campaign.
• Percentage of the audience that knew where to turn to verify if a work visa offer was legitimate – before and after the campaign to determine effectiveness of the campaign.
• Percentage of the audience that viewed the U.S. Embassy’s H-2 Visa Hub webpage as the best source of information on how to apply for a temporary work visa – before and after the campaign to determine effectiveness of the campaign.
• Percentage of the audience that knew that the legitimate temporary work visa process did not require payment in excess of the $205 visa fee – before and after the campaign to determine effectiveness of the campaign.
• Percentage of the audience that remembered seeing or hearing the campaign or the message and the specific channels where they heard the campaign.
• Percentage change in applicant behavior demonstrated by surveys conducted before and after the campaign of actual applicants.
• Percentage of the audience that knew that H-2 work visas are only for temporary work and not for permanent immigration.

• Percentage of the audience that believes they are at risk of fraud or misinformation responding to social media advertisements for U.S. temporary job offers.
• Percentage of the audience that would prefer to access information via the official U.S. Embassy website because they are the trusted source.
• Percentage of the audience outside the metropolitan San Salvador area that remembered hearing the campaign or the message (message resonance in other key municipalities and outlying areas).

IM[PORTANT: PLEASE REFER TO ATTACHED DOCUMENT TO SEE THE COMPLETE SOLICITATION PACKAGE

Attachments/Links