Macon Telegraph Logo

Word to the Wise: Beware of Section 8 online housing scam | Macon Telegraph

×
  • E-edition
  • Home
    • Customer Service
    • Mobile & Apps
    • Newsletters
    • Buy Photos and Pages
    • Contact Us
    • Newsletters
    • Subscribe
    • Archive Search

    • All News
    • Local
    • Houston & Peach
    • The Sun News
    • Crime
    • Food Story
    • Education
    • Databases
    • Business
    • Nation/World
    • Opinion
    • Weird News
    • All Sports
    • High Schools
    • University of Georgia
    • Bulldogs Beat
    • Georgia Tech
    • Mercer
    • Columns & Blogs
    • MLB & Braves
    • NFL & Falcons
    • NBA & Hawks
    • Auto Racing
    • Golf
    • NHL/Macon Mayhem
    • Politics
    • Elections
    • All Living
    • Family
    • Food
    • Home & Garden
    • Religion
    • Celebrations
    • Mark Ballard
    • Dear Abby
    • Entertainment
    • Out & About
    • Celebrities
    • Music
    • Restaurants
    • Comics
    • Puzzles & Games
    • Horoscopes
    • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Editorial Cartoons
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Submit a Letter
    • Blogs & Columns
    • Opinion Columns & Blogs
    • Your Say
  • Obituaries
  • Education Together
  • Best of the Best

  • Classifieds
  • Jobs
  • Moonlighting
  • Cars
  • Homes
  • Place An Ad
  • Contests

  • About Us
  • Mobile & Apps

Business

Word to the Wise: Beware of Section 8 online housing scam

KELVIN COLLINS -- For The Telegraph

    ORDER REPRINT →

July 13, 2015 07:23 PM

The Better Business Bureau recently discovered an online scam targeting buyers searching for affordable housing, sometimes called Section 8 housing. With this particular scam, scammers have created fake websites that look like registration sites for Section 8 waiting-list lotteries.

This scam leads potential home- buyers to fake websites created by con artists in an attempt to collect fees and personal information from unsuspecting victims. The sites appear legitimate, with an Equal Housing Opportunity logo and a way to sign up for a voucher wait list. The BBB warns consumers not to sign up for the wait list, enter in personal information or pay a registration fee, if the site asks for one. The fee goes straight to the scammers’ bank accounts, and the online form gives them access to your identity.

In a similar version of this scam, fake websites list Section 8 properties available for rent if you pay the first month via wire transfer or a prepaid card. According to the Federal Trade Commission, people have lost money and personal information to scammers -- but they’ve also lost the chance to be in the actual lottery. Most people don’t realize they’ve been scammed until after the waiting list is closed.

To avoid this Section 8 scam, BBB offers the following tips:

SIGN UP

Sign Up and Save

Get six months of free digital access to The Telegraph

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

#ReadLocal

Contact your local housing authority. To register for the Section 8 waiting list lottery, you need to go through your local housing authority. You’ll find its email and phone number with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development or your local phone book.

Housing authorities don’t charge fees. HUD’s Section 8 program gives funding to local government housing authorities, and it then issues Housing Choice Vouchers to help people find housing in privately owned rental units. On the real Section 8 waiting list, there is no fee to sign up or register.

Don’t wire money or use a prepaid debit card. Scammers often pressure people into wiring money or putting cash on a prepaid debit card. They use this payment method because it’s like sending cash, and once it’s gone it’s nearly impossible to trace it or get it back. A housing authority will never ask you to wire money or pay with a prepaid card.

Shop smart online. Just because something appears high in search engine results does not necessarily mean it’s legitimate. Be sure to double-check the website or type it in directly. Treat your Social Security and credit card numbers like cash and don’t give them out on a website you find through a search.

Consumers should always be on the lookout for similar scams that take advantage of people looking for help through other government programs. To find out more about other scams or to file a complaint, visit your BBB at bbb.org/central-georgia.

Kelvin Collins is president/CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Central Georgia and the CSRA Inc., serving 41 counties in Middle Georgia and the Central Savannah River area. This tips column is provided through the local BBB and the Council of Better Business Bureaus. Questions or complaints about a specific company or charity should be referred directly to the BBB at 478-742-7999, www.bbb.org or by emailing info@centralgeorgia.bbb.org.

  Comments  

Videos

Next time you see this unique vehicle around downtown Macon hop on for a free ride

Don’t make these mistakes when you file for unemployment insurance

View More Video

Trending Stories

Woman ‘exposing her butt’ and cussing causes stir in downtown Macon

February 14, 2019 04:26 PM

Bibb County schools Superintendent Curtis Jones wins National Superintendent Award

February 14, 2019 08:17 PM

Two people shot in Houston County ‘when things went sideways,’ investigator says

February 15, 2019 12:44 PM

Houston County is buzzing with projects from roads to fire halls to a court building

February 14, 2019 05:45 PM

Frontrunner emerges to fill vacant Warner Robins City Council seat, mayor says

February 14, 2019 06:16 PM

Read Next

Trump declares emergency at border after stinging defeat

Business

Trump declares emergency at border after stinging defeat

By JONATHAN LEMIRE, COLLEEN LONG and ALAN FRAM Associated Press

    ORDER REPRINT →

February 16, 2019 12:39 AM

Defiant in the wake of a stinging budget defeat, President Donald Trump has declared a national emergency at the border.

KEEP READING

Sign Up and Save

#ReadLocal

Get six months of free digital access to The Telegraph

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

MORE BUSINESS

Trump emergency declaration faces fights in the courts

Business

Trump emergency declaration faces fights in the courts

February 16, 2019 12:36 AM

Business

Community Coffee firmly in family hands at 100

February 16, 2019 12:01 AM

Business

Residents skeptical as company takes over solar project

February 16, 2019 01:01 AM
Kenosha native celebrated for 32 years of engine rebuilding

Business

Kenosha native celebrated for 32 years of engine rebuilding

February 16, 2019 01:01 AM
Minnesota lawmakers look to invest in ‘full-service’ schools

Business

Minnesota lawmakers look to invest in ‘full-service’ schools

February 16, 2019 01:01 AM

Business

Today in History

February 16, 2019 12:00 AM
Take Us With You

Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand.

Icon for mobile apps

Macon Telegraph App

View Newsletters

Subscriptions
  • Start a Subscription
  • Customer Service
  • eEdition
  • Vacation Hold
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Rewards
Learn More
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletters
  • News in Education
  • Archives
Advertising
  • Place a Classified Ad
  • Advertise with Us
  • Local Deals
Copyright
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service


Back to Story