Cape Town - The City of Cape Town has urged residents to be aware of housing scammers impersonating City officials and reminded them that they do not need to pay for a housing opportunity. .
The City said residents could report any suspicious or illegal activity to the SAPS.
It said it was aware of a scammer who was impersonating mayoral committee member for human settlements councillor Malusi Booi on social media platforms.
Booi said the scammer was asking residents to pay for housing opportunities as well as to assist with housing-related enquiries.
“The accounts have been created by scammers and we have reported the profiles to the social media platforms. We ask residents to please be aware of scammers pretending to work for the City, and not fall victim to their attempts.
“Residents must remember that we will not ask them to pay for a housing opportunity and we will not ask residents to pay to register on the City’s Housing Needs Register.
“If residents think that they might have been the victim of a housing scam, please report it to the South African Police Service for investigation.”
Booi said qualifying beneficiaries were registered on the Housing Needs Register at no cost, and the register, which was protected, updated and audited, was necessary to prevent queue-jumping.
“This is especially important given the very acute need for housing opportunities across the metro,” he said.
The City also encouraged residents to visit this link to update their details on the Housing Needs Register: https://web1.capetown.gov.za/web1/HWL2012Online/
It said residents could call 0800 1100 77 to report anonymous tip-offs if they were aware of illegal activity that was taking place, had happened or was to happen.
IOL