NHT Urges Public to Beware of Fake Social Media Pages and Platforms

Members of the public are being urged to exercise caution when engaging with social media accounts claiming to represent the National Housing Trust (NHT), following an increase in fraudulent pages across the digital space.

Speaking during a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) ‘Think Tank’ in Kingston on Tuesday (June 23), Assistant General Manager for Corporate Communications and Public Affairs at the NHT, Dwayne Berbick, warned that scammers are using fake accounts to advertise housing solutions and benefits that do not exist.

He cautioned that many of the fake pages appear convincing because they use the NHT’s branding, copyrighted material, and, in some cases, repurpose content from the Trust’s official social media channels.

“Persons should verify the official NHT social media handles and review the number of followers on an account before engaging. This is because many of the fraudulent pages are newly created and have relatively small followings,” Mr. Berbick stated.

He noted, however, that one fraudulent TikTok account has amassed a significant following while promoting unrealistic housing offers, including two-bedroom houses in St. James for $3.5 million and container homes for just over $1 million.

“If what they’re selling sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t true. Also, the NHT doesn’t sell houses and its products via Direct Messaging (DM) on social media. We have formal channels through which [contributors can] access all benefits. Scammers aren’t always after your money. Some are after your information, which is far more valuable than the money,” Mr. Berbick pointed out.

Against this background, the public is encouraged to carefully examine social media pages and remain alert for signs such as poor grammar, inconsistent capitalisation, spelling errors, and unusual punctuation – all of which often indicate that an account is fraudulent.

Mr. Berbick advised that to further safeguard the public, the NHT is undertaking initiatives to have all of its social media pages formally verified and is reviewing additional measures to help citizens identify legitimate communications from the organisation.

He explained that the Trust continues to report fraudulent accounts and has successfully had several removed from various platforms.

However, Mr. Berbick acknowledged that challenges remain in removing certain fake accounts, particularly on TikTok.

He is also encouraging the public to assist by reporting suspicious pages whenever they encounter them.

“The more people we have reporting them, the better it will be,” Mr. Berbick declared.

Persons who are uncertain about the legitimacy of an NHT social media account or communication are encouraged to contact the organisation directly for verification.

The NHT can be reached by email at wecare@nht.gov.jm, by telephone at 876-929-6500, or toll-free at 888-CALL-NHT.