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Hello CalHFA partner,
Please see the message below from HUD regarding a Section 8-related scam that has been circulating on social media throughout the country.
The instructions below detail who to contact if you see any of this activity and you should never hesitate to reach out to CalHFA directly if you have any questions.
Thank you for your continued partnership.
 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
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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 Tik Tok, 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 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, if someone reaches out to you about a scam involving HUD, please reach out to our Computer Incident Response Team (CIRT) at CIRT@hud.gov.
Questions?
If you have any questions about phishing emails or the legitimacy of a link, please contact CIRT@hud.gov. You should also forward any suspicious emails you receive to Phishing@hud.gov or click the Report Phishing Button on the Outlook ribbon or Phishing option within OWA.
Thank you for keeping HUD cyber-safe and doing your part to report security incidents!
Sincerely,
Security Awareness Team
Office of the Chief Information Officer
Office of Chief Information Security Officer (OCISO)
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Securityawareness@hud.gov
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