Property-Tax 'Reassessment / Refund' Phish
A notice offers a property-tax refund or a fee-based 'reassessment/appeal' service, phishing your details or charging for something you can do free.
Think a message like this reached you? You can check it right now.
What this scam is
Homeowners receive official-looking notices claiming they're owed a property-tax refund (verify your details to claim) or offering to lower their assessment for a fee. The refund 'claim' phishes personal and payment info; the 'appeal service' charges for filing an assessment appeal you can do yourself for free or little cost through your county. Real county tax offices don't ask you to verify bank details via a link to release a refund.
What it usually looks like
- A property-tax refund notice asking you to 'verify' to claim.
- An offer to reduce your assessment for a fee.
- A link or form for personal/payment details.
- County-looking branding that isn't official.
Common warning signs
- Refund claims requiring bank details via a link.
- Fees to appeal your assessment.
- Non-official .gov county addresses.
- Urgency and deadlines.
Example wording scammers use
“You are owed a $312 property-tax refund. Verify your details to receive it: county-tax-refund.net”
“Lower your property taxes — pay our filing fee and we'll handle your appeal.”
These are illustrative examples written by ScamSplain, not real messages.
What the scammers want
- Your personal and payment details.
- Fees for free/low-cost county processes.
- To impersonate the tax office.
What to do
- Contact your county tax/assessor office directly (look it up) about any refund or appeal.
- File assessment appeals yourself through the county — often free or low-cost.
- Don't 'verify' bank details via a link.
- Report the notice.
What to do if you already responded
- Contact your card issuer if you paid; watch for identity misuse.
- Verify your tax status with the county.
- Report at reportfraud.ftc.gov.