TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The City of Tucson’s Housing & Community Development (HCD) office issued a scam alert today warning residents of fraudulent phone calls that appear to come from a City government number and request payments to apply for public housing or a Housing Choice Voucher.
Ernesto Portillo, HCD public information officer, said the City’s waitlist is closed and emphasized that “HCD or a City of Tucson department will never ask for a payment over the phone.”
The advisory urges residents to hang up immediately on unexpected callers, never provide personal or banking information, and be suspicious of caller ID spoofing and fraudulent website links.
Related: ALERT: Sophisticated traffic ticket scams target Arizona drivers
The HCD notice comes amid multiple recent reports of phone-based scams targeting Tucson-area residents:
- Pima County Sheriff’s Fraud Unit warned that scammers are using new tools — including AI voice cloning and caller-ID spoofing — to target seniors, urging verification before sharing personal or financial information and recommending reporting suspicious contacts.
- Arizona Department of Transportation alerted drivers to smishing texts that falsely claim recipients owe traffic-ticket fines and push them to click links or pay immediately; officials advise ignoring links, not providing payment details, and verifying tickets through official channels.
- Marana Police described common impersonation scams (jury duty, warrants, utility shutoffs) where callers pressure victims for payment via gift cards or wire transfers; police recommend hanging up, contacting agencies directly, and reporting incidents.
Related: Scam stopped: Green Valley UPS Store employee saves resident from $15,000 loss
What to do if you get a suspicious call
Officials say to hang up immediately; do not engage, even if the caller seems to know your name.
- Verify independently: call the official agency or company number listed on its website (not the number that appears on caller ID).
- Never send money via gift cards, cash cards, wire transfer, or provide account/login details to an unsolicited caller.
Report scams to local law enforcement and to the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-FTC-HELP or ftc.gov; file complaints with the FCC as well.
The City’s HCD alert includes a bilingual reminder: “Alerta de estafa: HCD no solicita pagos por teléfono.” Residents with questions or to report suspicious calls can contact HCD Public Information at (520) 403-5709.
