The Ministry of Housing and Water on Monday issued a warning to prospective homeowners to safeguard themselves against persons who may be impersonating officials of the Housing Ministry and who may be making house lot promises.
In a one page statement, the Ministry reported that it has been able to unearth a major fraud involving house lots and is now working along with the Central Housing and Planning Authority and the Guyana Police Force to get to the bottom of the scam.
According to the Ministry, it has found that there are persons who collected monies in exchange of a promise to expedite and deliver house lots. It said “information was received that the various players in the scam could not deliver on this promise and moreover, various persons who have been defrauded, have since responded to the Ministry’s recent Public Notice”
According to the Ministry, the scam artists would pretend to be relatives of various officials of the Housing Ministry and would even take their victims to various areas and show them house lots and collect money for those lots to be delivered.
“Despite numerous warnings by the Ministry against entering into these transactions, persons continue to fall prey to this disease”, the Ministry’s statement said.
The Housing Ministry said it is adopting a “no-nonsense approach in dealing with these fraudsters and impersonators”. But it says the members of the Public have a responsibility of safeguarding themselves.
The Ministry has now issued a call for persons who may have handed over money to persons claiming to be officials of the Ministry in an effort to “expedite” or “deliver” any service provided by the Ministry, to make contact with the Ministry and file an official report.
This is not the first time that the Housing Ministry has found itself at the centre of major fraud and scam allegations. Although the Ministry is warning persons against falling prey to the scam, it has not provided the names of the alleged fraudsters.
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