Cindy Gonzalez
LINCOLN — Nebraskans are being warned of scam artists using social media platforms to purportedly help applicants get emergency rental assistance.
The Nebraska Investment Finance Authority, which is currently managing the federally funded ERA program for the State of Nebraska, is alerting people to be cautious of fake website links and fraudulent offers related to the program.
One Facebook post, for example, asks for personal information as well as a fee to help get rental aid applications approved.
Suspicious activity
Nebraskans who have been contacted by a company or person requesting a fee for an application or claiming they can send funds directly to the applicant are encouraged to report such fraud at NebraskaRentHelp.org/report-fraud.
Applications and additional information about eligibility requirements can be found at NebraskaRentHelp.org.
Robin Ambroz, NIFA spokeswoman, told the Nebraska Examiner that she is unaware of anyone in Nebraska who has been taken advantage of or fallen prey to such offers. But she said NIFA has seen suspicious social media activity and felt compelled to be proactive. It has issued guidance to avoid scams.
The NIFA-managed Nebraska ERA program provides help for past-due rent, utility and internet payments to income-qualified Nebraskans outside of Douglas and Lancaster Counties who experienced financial hardship during the pandemic.
(Because of their size, Douglas and Lancaster Counties applied for their own federally funded emergency rental assistance programs. Other entities manage those programs, while NIFA administers ERA for the state’s 91 smaller and more rural counties.)
Tips and guidance offered by NIFA:
- The only authentic way to apply for the program is online at NebraskaRentHelp.org, in person at a local Community Collaborative or by phone at 1-844-429-6575.
- Only officials with the Nebraska ERA program can determine an applicant’s eligibility for rental and utility assistance. Applicants who are approved for assistance will be notified by email.
- There is no fee to apply or to receive application help from the call center or Community Collaboratives.
- Applicants will never be asked for their personal information through a social media message.
- Funds will be sent directly to landlords or utility providers.
To qualify for the emergency rental assistance, applicants must have experienced a financial hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic; have an income at or below 80% of the area median income; rent their primary home in Nebraska; and be a legal resident.
The funds NIFA is now distributing is the State of Nebraska’s second batch of emergency rent and utility aid. That funding had become weighted in controversy as then-Gov. Pete Ricketts refused to tap ERA II dollars that the federal government had set aside for the 91 counties. Ricketts at that time said the pandemic was over and that Nebraska should guard against becoming a “welfare state.”
Gov. Jim Pillen bucked his predecessor’s stance and ended up accepting what was left of that $120 million second tranche, about $48 million.
NIFA, at the end of September, began accepting renter applications for that allotment. Since then, Ambroz said, about $587,000 in assistance has been paid out.