Scam of RDP housing opportunities in exchange for a fee, doing the rounds

Residents in Cape Town are urged to remain vigilant against ongoing housing scams targeting vulnerable communities.

The City of Cape Town says bogus emails and messages are circulating that claim to be from the City’s Human Settlements Directorate or the National Department of Human Settlements. The latest scam involves emails sent from Gmail accounts, which is an immediate red flag.

Fraudsters often use emails, social media platforms, SMS, and WhatsApp messages to deceive residents that they have been approved for a housing opportunity, or that they can secure an opportunity for a fee.

‘’The email informs residents that they qualify for Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) housing opportunities in exchange for a fee. Residents are reminded that the subsidy housing programmes used to be under the RDP, but this has not been the case for more than a decade. Any communication still using outdated terminology should be treated with suspicion,’’ said Carl pophaim, MMC for Human Settlements.

‘’Most fraudulent messages are poorly written, contain numerous spelling and grammatical errors and most importantly, request payment in exchange for housing opportunities. This is a clear indication of a scam,’’ he added.

Pophaim reminded residents that City housing opportunities are free and qualifying residents will never be asked to pay for placement on the City’s Housing Needs Register, or for allocation of housing opportunities as well as for any related housing service

Residents can verify any communication by phoning the City’s Human Settlements Call Centre on 021 444 0333.

 

Done By: Mitchum George