The Western Cape human settlements department has warned residents about a housing scam being shared on social media.

The con surfaced on several Facebook accounts. It asked citizens to either pay a deposit or holding fee to be approved for a house from government.

The department said one victim had recently been fleeced of more than R2,000.

“The latest victim the department is aware of was scammed of more than R2,000 by a ‘Mr Mashilo’ she met on a Facebook account. ‘Mr Mashilo’ presented himself as a department of human settlements official and provided fraudulent paperwork as proof the resident would be assisted with a house.”

It said citizens do not pay to be on government’s housing database.

“Residents should be aware that no government official should ask you to pay any amount for government housing services.”

To qualify for a government housing opportunity, citizens must register on the housing database at their local municipality.

Source: TimesLIVE