It has come to the attention of the Ministry of Housing and Community Development that a person having a profile on Facebook is pretending to be an agent of the Ministry in assisting with First Home Grant Applications.
The Permanent Secretary for Housing and Community Development, Sanjeeva Perera confirmed that the Ministry does not employ any agents or middlemen.
“We do not accept direct applications, nor do we employ agents or middlemen to accept applications on our behalf for our First Home and First Land grant programmes,” said Mr Perera.
Mr Perera stated that the only legitimate way to apply for these programmes is through the Bank, Housing Authority of Fiji, Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources or iTaukei Land Trust Board.
Mr Perera added that these services do not attract any fees or charges.
“We do not charge any fees or charges for processing the First Home/First Land Grant applications. If anyone approaches you for assistance at a fee or a charge, be cautious - you could be the next victim of another scam,” said Mr. Perera.
First Home Grant application forms are available on the Ministry website -
www.housing.gov.fj and also available with all Commercial banks and the Housing Authority of Fiji.
“Applications are processed strictly on a first come- first serve basis. So, if anyone approaches you saying he/she can fast track the processing of application at a fee, that is a false statement. We urge the public to be aware of such activities and to inform us,” said Mr. Perera.
The Ministry urges all Fijians to be cautious of those who pretend to be representatives of the Ministry and requests the public to inform the Ministry of any such suspicious activities.
More information on all housing assistance programmes can be obtained by calling the Ministry on 330 9918 or emailing the Ministry at
infohousing@govnet.gov.fj