Tax Sale Scam Alert
March 29, 2019
San Bernardino, CA __ San Bernardino County
Tax Collector Ensen Mason warns taxpayers of a recent scam to obtain financial
information from property owners. The Tax Collector’s Office received several
reports from taxpayers that an individual posing as a Tax Collector employee
contacted them in person at their homes in San Bernardino on March 28 around
8:00 P.M. The individual claimed the Tax Collector was going to sell their home
and offered to discuss their options as a lure to obtain financial information
from them.
Each of the property
owners contacted the Tax Collector’s Office the next morning and discovered
their property was not eligible for tax sale and a Tax Collector
employee had not been dispatched to their home. The public is encouraged
to call their local police department if they encounter this impersonator.
“Taxpayers should stay vigilant when
providing personal information,” Mason cautioned. “I recommend the
public ask for identification when
approached by individuals claiming to be an employee from a County department.”
Taxpayers should keep
the following information in mind to help protect themselves against fraud:
- Tax Collector employees will NOT
contact homeowners after business hours.
- Tax Collector employees will NOT
counsel taxpayers on financing or legal options.
- Tax Collector employees WILL have
County identification.
Property owners can
contact the Tax Collector’s Office at (909) 387-8308 or (760) 241-8829
with questions concerning tax sale status. A list of eligible parcels for the
upcoming May 2019 tax sale is available online at www.MyTaxCollector.com
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