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The Department of Housing and Dublin City Council (DCC) have warned about the proliferation of scam social media messages from “Housing for All” or “Ireland’s Housing Plan” offering accommodation to members of the public.
“This scam is falsely using the ‘Housing for All’ name and the HFA acronym and is encouraging members of the public to contact them via WhatsApp to access so‑called ‘free housing benefits,’” a spokesperson for DCC said.
“We strongly advise that you do not engage with this scam in any way, including responding to messages, clicking links, or sharing personal information.
“We would advise any member of the public who is approached by an entity purporting to be from the Government, and seeking details or payment regarding homes for sale, to report the matter to An Garda Síochána.”
The spokesperson said that if a member of the public had exchanged information with these entities, they should get in touch with their bank and inform them that their account may be compromised.
The Department of Housing also reported an increase in online scams in recent days purporting to be from Ireland’s Housing Plan and Housing for All.
“As with all scams, these attempts purport to be from official sites and we would urge the public to be extremely cautious, to ensure that they are using official departmental websites, and not to click on or reply to links which appear suspicious,” a statement from the department read.
“The Department does not directly engage with the public regarding accommodation provision and never seeks personal details from members of the public.”
It said it was reporting the matter to An Garda Síochána.
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