Statement from Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage regarding online scams

The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage wishes to alert people to scam messages or online posts they may receive.

The Department has been made aware that there are a number of online scams currently live purporting to be from ‘Housing for All’ or ‘Ireland’s Housing Plan’ and offering accommodation to members of the public.

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.

The Department does not directly engage with the public regarding accommodation provision and never seeks personal details from members of the public.

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.

If any member of the public has engaged with such an entity online and has exchanged information, they should alert their bank or any other relevant organisation to advise that their data may be compromised.

The Department is reporting this matter to An Garda Síochána.

ENDS