HUD issues warning about Section 8 assistance scams

The below information is provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development:

SLAM the SCAM: Fraudulent Section 8 Assistance Advertisements

Fraudulent Section 8 assistance advertisements are appearing on social media sites in increasing numbers. These sites direct members of the public to a fraudulent website, which harvests personal information and data.

What You Need to Know 

A flyer has been circulating on social media advertising assistance with applying for Section 8 funding. The flyer and website ‘www.govassistance[dot]org’ are NOT legitimate. The scam aims to take advantage of Section 8 applicants to obtain their personal information to facilitate fraudulent activity. There are multiple versions of the below advertisement on various websites including Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, typically with slightly changed verbiage and dates.

What You Can Do

Many individuals have personal social media accounts, which can be a great way to connect with others. However, malicious ads, scams, and misinformation are prevalent on these sites, and users should always be skeptical—remember if it seems too good to be true, it probably is! In general, do not click on a hyperlink if you are unsure if it is legitimate; instead, go to a known, trusted source. For example, after seeing this ad, a user could navigate to www.hud.gov and research if this is a real program.

Individuals who fall victim to this or similar scams can file a complaint at the Internet Crime Compliant Center (IC3): https://www.ic3.gov/. Additionally, please contact my office if you are aware of a scam involving HUD programs.