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Program Fraud: What You Should Know

Obtain guidance on fraud, avoiding waiting list scams, and other important information to know when applying for housing assistance.

Don't risk your chances for federally-assisted housing by providing false, incomplete, or inaccurate information on your application forms.

Completing paperwork

When completing paperwork, you must supply true and complete information.

Income

  • All sources of money you or any member of your household receive (wages, welfare payments, alimony, social security, pension, etc.)
  • Any money you receive on behalf of your children (child support, social security for children, etc.)
  • Income from assets (interest from a savings account, credit union, or certificate of deposit, dividends from stock, etc.)
  • Earnings from second job or part time job.
  • Any anticipated income (such as a bonus or pay raise you expect to receive).

Assets

  • All bank accounts, savings bonds, certificates of deposit, stocks, real estate, and other assets that are owned by you or any member of your household who will be living with you.
  • Any business or asset you sold in the last 2 years for less than its full value.

Household

  • The names of all of the people (adults and children ) who will actually be living with you, whether or not they are related to you.

If you do not report true and complete information about your income, assets, and household, it may be considered fraud and you may be terminated from your rental assistance program or denied assistance as a new applicant.

Reading and signing forms

  • When you sign forms, you are claiming that they are complete to the best of your knowledge and belief.
  • Do not sign any form unless you have read it, understand it, and are sure everything is complete and accurate.
  • You are committing fraud if you sign a form knowing that it contains false or misleading information. Information you provide will be verified.

Reporting changes

You must report any changes in income or household composition immediately. You must report:

  • All in come changes, such as increases of pay and/or benefits, change or loss of job and/or benefits, etc., for all household members.
  • Any move in or out of a household member.
  • All assets that you or your household members own and any assets that were sold in the last 2 years for less than full value.

Beware of fraud

You should be aware of the following fraud schemes:

  • Do not pay any money to file an application for rental assistance.
  • Do not pay any money to move up on the waiting list.

The Department of Housing Services will never ask you to pay to be placed on its waiting lists. If someone asks you to pay to file an application, report it to the Department of Housing Services or HUD immediately.

Reporting program abuse

Please contact the Department of Housing Services if:

  • You know of someone who has falsified an application, has failed to report income, or has failed to report everyone living in their household.
  • Someone tries to persuade you to make false statements on your paperwork.
  • Someone asks you to pay to be placed on the waiting list for assistance, or to be moved up the waiting list.

If you are not able to contact the Department of Housing Services, call the local HUD office or the HUD Office of Inspector General (OIG) Hotline at 800-347-3735.

You can also write to: HUD-OIG HOTLINE, (GFI) 451 Seventh Street S.W., Washington, DC. 20410.