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  • 20 hours ago
Three middle-aged women, collectively lost over $55,000 in separate but similarly executed scams, involving down payments to secure HDC homes.

The women each tell our reporter Cindy Raghubar-Teekersingh, the operation seems vast and well organised leading them to believe employees are involved.

They’ve all reported their losses to the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service Fraud Squad, but are calling on both the HDC and Minister of Housing to intervene and ensure a proper investigation is done, before others suffer the same fate.

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Transcript
00:00Three middle-aged women collectively lost over $55,000 in separate but similarly executed scams involving down payments to secure
00:11HDC homes.
00:12The women each tell our reporter Cindy Ragubar-Tekasingh the operation seems fast and well organized, leading them to believe
00:20employees are involved.
00:22They've all reported their losses to the Trinidad and Tobago Police Services Fraud Squad but are calling on both the
00:28HDC and the Housing Minister to intervene and ensure a proper investigation is done before others suffer the same fate.
00:38It all began with Facebook advertisements selling homes as affordable rent-to-own properties.
00:45For the three women who reached out to TV6, they say they called a number listed and were each referred
00:52to someone else who was sympathetic to their renting situation and who would, as a favor, put them on a
01:00soon-to-be-distributed list of HDC properties.
01:03All they had to do was each make a $12,000 down payment. For the purpose of this report, none
01:11of the victims wished to be identified.
01:13Victim 1, a 35-year-old law enforcement personnel, is a single mother of three who made six different payments,
01:22totaling $29,400 between October to November last year.
01:28For each payment requested, a new reason was given by those she was communicating with through phone calls.
01:36Each time she complied, she tells TV6 News, they were able to pull up her HDC application
01:42and relay information on past applications that only HDC personnel would know.
01:48This, she says, legitimized the transaction in her mind, admitting,
01:53quote, I know there are people who can assist you in the background to get a home.
01:58I've known this since growing up.
02:00I thought this was real, but I see now.
02:03I was just vulnerable and I was a fool, end quote.
02:07She was offered a Malabar property.
02:10A key was left on unit number 10 and she was even able to do a walkthrough of this incomplete
02:16structure
02:17before being told additional payments would secure her a better Valsane unit.
02:23It was delays on that promise which triggered the realization she was being tricked.
02:30Meanwhile, in February this year, victim number two, a 48-year-old single mother of three from Point 14,
02:38a public health sector worker, lost $21,000 with the promise of a unit in a San Fernando HDC development.
02:47So it was Riverside, South, number 25.
02:52So I went and viewed the property.
02:54I saw the property, saw the area.
02:57I saw the number 25.
02:58I saw the sticker that the HDC put private property, no trespassing, was on the door.
03:04I walk around the property and there were some curtains up.
03:09So when I contacted them concerning that, he told me that the government at the time had made an announcement
03:15for persons who were squatting that they would eventually give them the property
03:20and he told me that are some of the things that they're dealing with.
03:23So they asked me to come into HDC Port of Spain head office and to speak to them, which was
03:31the Monday.
03:33He told me also to don't talk to nobody because they don't want to disclose what we had, that transaction.
03:40She had a full meeting over the phone while sitting in the lobby of the HDC Port of Spain head
03:47office.
03:48When I went into HDC Port of Spain and I give the certain names that they give me,
03:54the secretary or the customer service rep behind the desk was able to say,
03:58well, yes, these workers, they work here.
04:01So all of this made me believe, all right, this is not going to be a scam
04:05because I did the background check.
04:07I went in to find out these workers working here and I was told, yeah.
04:12So with that information, I said, all right, well, this has to be legit.
04:14I was not expecting at all that I would have been scammed.
04:19And then it was with HDC, which we know that they give homes
04:24and we know that some persons collect homes on the back door.
04:30So all these things at the time did not really raise red flags.
04:33For me, probably it should have raised a red flag.
04:36But as I said, I think they prey on persons who are in desperate need of homes
04:42because as a single mom, you want to have your own.
04:46She says sometimes HDC bank account numbers were given,
04:50then swapped at the last moment with personal accounts for transfers.
04:55Victim number three is a 48-year-old single woman with no children
05:00from the San Fernando area, another public health worker.
05:04She paid $5,100 before realizing something was off, but by then it was too late.
05:11Every day after that was like excuses and I was calling them
05:15and they was calling me making excuses and I told them I won't back my money
05:20and I started to see profile, started to be blocked.
05:23She says she was cautious, but when they read out her old address,
05:28the year of her actual HDC application,
05:31and the name of an ex-boyfriend who was the second person on that application,
05:36it felt legitimate.
05:37The women say on reporting it to the fraud squad,
05:40they were told they were one of many such cases currently being investigated.
05:45And while they desperately hope to get their money back,
05:49they also want to ensure it doesn't happen to others.
05:53So I'm calling on the Minister of Housing.
05:55This is something that is serious to look into this matter
05:58because there are persons inside that organization
06:02have some form of dealing and some kind of scam is going on inside of them
06:08because the information that they're using to scam persons
06:12is legit information from HDC.
06:15I just want to make people aware of what's going on
06:18and to prevent somebody potentially from getting scammed.
06:23I want the Minister, I want HDC to know what's going on.
06:28And to me, it feels like it is an inside job
06:32because they have information about specific details about your HDC account.
06:41And, yeah, I just need a proper investigation to take place.
06:47Cindy Raguba, Tika Singh, TV6 News.
06:51TV6 reached out to both the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service
06:55and the Housing Development Corporation on the claims made by the women.
06:59A joint statement was later released warning the public of fraudulent housing schemes.
07:05In their statement, the TTPS and HDC say scammers have been impersonating HDC officials,
07:12advertising homes through social media and demanding upfront payments.
07:17They warn that the corporation does not request payments via WhatsApp, Gmail or social media
07:24and all transactions must be conducted at their head office under official procedures.
07:29The organization says some of the scam tactics identified include
07:35fake advertisements on Facebook offering two-bedroom homes at below-market prices,
07:41requests for upfront payments of around TT$12,000,
07:46use of unofficial email addresses and WhatsApp-only communication and pressure tactics,
07:52claiming limited availability of housing units.
07:55According to the HDC, its official policy is that all payments must be made
08:01at the HDC Cashers Unit, South Quay, Port of Spain, not through personal accounts.
08:08The TTPS and HDC urged citizens to avoid making payments to individuals
08:13claiming to expedite housing applications,
08:17to verify all communication through HDC's official phone lines and website,
08:22and to report suspicious activity to the Trinidad and Tobago Police Services Fraud Squad.
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