The Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) is alerting vulnerable households of an online scam pretending to be IHDA or a similar housing entity. The scam is presented as a flyer posted on Facebook announcing the opening of a waitlist for specific properties as part of the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8). The scam encourages residents to provide their information through a fraudulent link or to visit the IHDA office in person. This is not an IHDA program. IHDA has not created an advertisement for Section 8 housing, and it does not endorse any such solicitation.
A false Facebook page has also been created imitating IHDA. If individuals use Facebook for housing information, please verify you are interacting with the agency’s official page by identifying the blue checkmark next to the IHDA name. Individuals who are unsure may access IHDA’s Facebook page by visiting www.ihda.org and clicking on the Facebook icon on the website homepage to be connected.
IHDA is asking those who are seeking public housing to be on the lookout for any suspicious websites or social media posts and to report any unusual interactions to the proper authorities. If individuals paid a fee or gave personal information to one of these fraudulent sites, please file a police report and also file reports with the Illinois Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division and the Federal Trade Commission.
Those seeking assistance through the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program are asked to remember the following information:
- Contact your local public housing authority to see if they are accepting applications for Section 8 housing, or how to apply for a waiting list.
- Housing authorities do not charge fees to join a waiting list.
- Never give your Social Security Number, credit card number, or other personal information out on a website you find through an online search.
- Contact a HUD-approved housing counseling agency to see what local assistance may be available.
- Search for an affordable housing unit near you though the ILHousingSearch.org website.
About the Illinois Housing Development Authority
IHDA (www.ihda.org) is a self-supporting state agency that finances the creation and the preservation of affordable housing across Illinois. Since its creation in 1967, IHDA has allocated $18 billion and financed approximately 255,000 affordable housing units for residents of Illinois.
***Courtesy of the Illinois Housing Development Authority***
