Section 8 and affordable housing scams: the red flags

Real Section 8 rent-help waitlists (lists of names) and housing lotteries (random drawings) are run by a housing office or a named building, and joining is free. A site, text or post that asks for a fee, wants your Social Security number up front or promises approval is a scam. Check the housing office's own website.

What are the red flags?

Why is applying free?

Applying is free because these programs are public. HUD sends money to local housing offices, and the offices run the lists. HUD says you apply for a voucher through your local housing office, and its directory lists yours. A building's affordable lottery runs through a city or state program. In New York City, that is NYC Housing Connect, the city's online application site. Neither path involves paying a stranger to put you on a list.

Fees do exist elsewhere in renting, and it helps to know which are normal:

• HUD says some landlords charge application fees, and some housing offices ask voucher holders to pay a security deposit themselves.
• In New York City, the housing department (HPD, short for Housing Preservation and Development) sets the rules in its Marketing Handbook, a rulebook for how affordable homes are rented. A credit check fee is allowed only if you look like you qualify and a home is available. It costs the real price or $20 per application, whichever is less, and you get a copy of the check and the receipt.
• NYC311, the city's information line, says you don't pay broker or application fees for HPD and HDC homes on Housing Connect. HDC is the Housing Development Corporation.

None of these is a fee to join a waitlist or enter a lottery.

What do fake lists and fake listings look like?

Fake registration sites. They look official, ask for a fee and your personal information, then do nothing. The FTC says victims can also lose their chance at the real list, because many don't find out until it has closed. HUD's inspector general says fraudsters post on social media that a waitlist is opening soon, pretending to be HUD or a local housing office. The District of Columbia Housing Authority warned in August 2024 about paper flyers and posts on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok that send people to fake sites. It says legitimate housing offices do not charge fees to join a waitlist.

Fake rentals. A scammer posts a home that doesn't exist, or copies a real listing and puts in their own contact details. The FTC lists the signs: rent far lower than similar homes nearby, no chance to see the place, pressure to decide quickly, and a request for a wire transfer, gift cards or crypto. It also names early requests for your Social Security number, a driver's license photo or pay stubs as a way to steal your identity.

Three made-up examples

1. A social media post: "SECTION 8 LIST OPEN TODAY. $35 reserves your spot. Message us now." Three flags: a fee, a social media ad and a rush. A real housing office doesn't charge to join. Don't reply. Look up your housing office and call the number on its website.

2. A text: "You're pre-approved for a housing voucher. Reply with your Social Security number and birth date to confirm." You can't be pre-approved for something you never applied for. The FTC says agencies don't reach out to suggest you join a list, and HUD's inspector general says not to give out those details in response to social media ads.

3. A rental listing: "Beautiful 2-bedroom, $900, accepts Section 8. Owner is out of the country. Send the first month's rent on a gift card to hold it." Rent far lower than similar homes nearby, no viewing and a gift card. The FTC says that last request alone means it's a scam.

How do you check a housing office?

Start from HUD, not from a search result or a post. HUD says to find your local housing office in its directory. Then use the phone number or website listed there to ask whether a list is open and how to join.

One catch. HUD's inspector general says real housing offices sometimes announce openings on social media too. So a post being on Facebook doesn't prove it's fake, and a post that looks official doesn't prove it's real. The test is whether the housing office's own website says the same thing.

As of October 9, 2026, we list 255 open area-wide waitlists from 204 housing offices. Confirm each one on the housing office's own website, then browse them on our listings page. To see how an official opening works, read our guide to the Section 8 waitlist. In New York City, start at NYC Housing Connect, the city's guide says. See our New York City page for lotteries there, and for how lotteries run, see how housing lotteries work.

What should you do if you were scammed?

How you recover depends on how you paid. The FTC's steps:

1. If you paid by wire transfer, contact the transfer company, say a scammer tricked you and ask for a refund, the FTC says.
2. If you paid by gift card, call the card issuer using the number on the card, say a scammer got the number and PIN (personal identification number), and ask for your money back.
3. If you paid by credit or debit card, call your card issuer and dispute the charge.
4. If you paid with crypto, tell the exchange or ATM operator right away. The FTC says crypto lacks the protections cards have.
5. If you gave your Social Security number, go to the Federal Trade Commission's identity theft site for a recovery plan.

Wire transfers, gift cards and crypto are the hard ones. The FTC says sending money that way is the same as sending cash, and once it's gone you probably can't get it back.

Where do you report it?

Report it, even if you lost nothing.

• The FTC, at the Federal Trade Commission's fraud reporting site. For rental scams the FTC also lists your state attorney general, local police and the website that hosted the listing.
• HUD's inspector general, at 1-800-347-3735 or the HUD Inspector General hotline. You can report anonymously.
• Your housing office, which can warn others. The DC housing office, for one, points victims to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Internet Crime Complaint Center.
• NYC311, for fees charged on Housing Connect homes, at 311 or 212-639-9675.

To see which open lotteries and waitlists fit your household, run the qualify check.