The county tax collector’s office received several reports recently of a scam in which someone pretended to be from the tax collector’s office and warned the homeowners that their property was going to be put up for auction due to unpaid taxes. The fake employee then offered to discuss the homeowners’ options as a lure to obtain financial information from them. The homeowners called the Tax Collectors’ Office the next morning and discovered their home was not up for auction due to unpaid taxes. Managing editor Tami Roleff offers these tips to help you from falling victim to yet another scam…
County Tax Collector Ensen Mason urges homeowners to remain vigilant against scammers. He says employees will never contact homeowners after normal business hours of 8 to 5, nor will tax collector employees counsel taxpayers on financing or legal options. And most importantly, Mason says if you are contacted by someone who claims to be a county employee, demand to see their county identification; employees will always carry official identification with them. If you have questions about your property’s taxes, call 760-241-8829. In addition, a list of properties for sale in the May 21 tax auction can be found at http://www.mytaxcollector.com.
