18 Jul Section 8 Scam

An email was received from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on July 18, 2024 which shares information about a recent and potentially ongoing scam regarding Section 8 funding.

“Most recently, fliers have 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 Tik Tok, typically with slightly changed verbiage and dates.”

Here is one example of a recent flyer:

Applicants will never be charged to join a waiting list. Here are some best practices and resources regarding cybersecurity: 

• If it seems too good to be true, it probably is, 
• Never click on a hyperlink if you are unsure if it is legitimate or without verifying with a trusted source, and 
• Never submit Social Security Numbers, bank / cred card information, or other personal details to a website found through an online search. 

If you have questions about your Section 8 application with OACAC, please contact our Housing Assistance Program office at (417) 864-3444.

If you have fallen victim to this or a similar scam, you can file a complaint at the Internet Crime Compliant Center (IC3): https://www.ic3.gov/.

If someone reaches out to you about a scam involving HUD, please reach out to the HUD Computer Incident Response Team (CIRT) at [email protected].