The Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) is investigating an alleged scam in Region 6, East Berbice-Corentyne, involving the sale of lands by an individual not authorized to conduct business on behalf of the agency.
According to a statement from the CH&PA, a woman purporting to represent the agency has scammed several persons in the Region of thousands of dollars.
It was noted that two men visited the Regional Housing Office two weeks ago to enquire of lands they paid for, only to be told that the agency does not have any record of transacting business with them.
“The men related to housing officials at the Regional Office that they were approached by a woman claiming that she could have gotten lands for them through the agency at a reduced cost,” the CH&PA statement noted.
One of the men paid the woman $150,000 for three house lots with a balance of $180,000 while another paid $70,000 with a balance of $60,000.
The Housing Authority noted that similar cases have been related to the housing office but individuals are unwilling to provide further information. The agency will be turning the matter over to the police, however, persons are asked to be on the alert for scammers.
All payments relating the sale of land or housing units from the Central Housing and Planning Authority must be done at the agency’s Georgetown head office, Regional Housing Offices or Regional Democratic Council.
