Contra Costa County Assessor's Office warns of scam targeting homeowners
Contra Costa county officials on Friday warned residents of a new scam targeting homeowners.
Property owners throughout the county have reportedly received fraudulent notices in the mail which appear to be official county documents informing them of a service to have their property taxes lowered. The scam mailers ask the recipient to pay a $40 filing fee and a contingent fee of 30% of any future tax savings from filing a reassessment application.
According to the California Attorney General's office, these mailers often use official-sounding names like "Tax Reassessment" or "Tax Adjusters" and sometimes threaten the recipient with late fees if money is not sent by a certain date.
Contra Costa County does not charge for tax reassessments and property owners can file a free form through the County Assessor's Office, county officials said.
Authorities urge residents to avoid paying any money for services they did not request and to report any scams to the Attorney General's Public Inquiry Unit on their website.
