Advisory Issued for False Property Tax Claims Targeting Seniors

Santa Barbara-area seniors are being urged to be on guard against a wave of misinformation promising to "freeze" or reduce property taxes through a supposed federal program — one that officials say does not exist.

The warning, reported by Noozhawk, originated with the Ventura County Assessor's Office, which says it has fielded numerous calls, emails, and in-person visits from property owners asking about a purported federal program that allegedly freezes property taxes. The misinformation is spreading through fraudulent online claims, social media posts, and scam phone calls that encourage homeowners to file a non-existent federal IRS form called "1098-SR."

No such IRS form exists, and the messages are not legitimate, the Assessor's Office said.

While the advisory came from Ventura County — Santa Barbara's neighbor to the south and east in the 805 region — the scam tactics described are not bound by county lines, and seniors across the Central Coast are a natural target for pitches involving property tax relief. Anyone who has been asked to pay money in connection with such claims should report the incident to local law enforcement and the California Department of Justice, officials said.

Why the Pitch Sounds Plausible

Property taxes are a genuine and growing burden for many fixed-income homeowners on the Central Coast, and that anxiety is exactly what scammers exploit. But there is a fundamental problem with the claim being circulated: property taxes in the United States are administered by state and local governments, not the federal government. No federal law caps or freezes property taxes for seniors, the advisory noted.

The IRS does not administer property taxes, and a "Form 1098-SR" — the document scammers are telling homeowners to file — is not a real federal form.

Legitimate property tax relief does exist in California, but it flows through state law and county assessor's offices, not through anything filed with the IRS. Officials say residents who hear about a tax-relief claim and aren't sure whether it's real should contact their county assessor's office directly rather than respond to unsolicited calls, emails, or social media advertisements.

The Real Programs Seniors Should Know About

The advisory laid out the actual avenues for property tax relief available to California homeowners — none of which involve a federal form.

Proposition 13 limits annual increases to a property's assessed value. Properties are reassessed to full market value primarily upon a change in ownership or new construction, which is why long-held homes often carry assessments far below their market value.

Proposition 19 allows eligible homeowners — those 55 and older, the severely disabled, or victims of wildfire or another natural disaster — to transfer their base-year value to a replacement primary residence, subject to requirements. That provision has drawn particular interest in the wake of wildfires across Southern California.

The Homeowners' Exemption provides a $7,000 reduction in the assessed value of an owner-occupied principal residence. It requires a one-time claim filed with the county assessor. Additional exemptions may be available for owners who are 100% disabled veterans, or for their surviving spouses.

The Property Tax Postponement (PTP) Program, operated by the California State Controller's Office, allows eligible seniors, blind, or disabled homeowners to postpone current-year property taxes if income and equity criteria are met. Homeowners should understand that a lien is placed on the property and repayment is required — a detail scammers tend to leave out.

What to Do If You're Targeted

Residents with questions about the legitimacy of any property tax relief claim should contact their county assessor's office before acting on it. The Ventura County Assessor's Office can be reached at 805-654-2181 or by email at [email protected]. Santa Barbara County residents can contact the Santa Barbara County Assessor's Office, and officials emphasized that no legitimate relief program requires payment to a third party or the filing of a federal form.

If any money has been requested or paid in connection with the bogus "1098-SR" claims, the incident should be reported to local law enforcement and the California Department of Justice.

A Familiar Pattern of Senior-Targeted Fraud

The fake-form campaign is the latest in a long line of scams that use official-sounding paperwork and government jargon to target older homeowners, who are more likely to own their homes outright and to be concerned about keeping up with tax bills on a fixed income. Fraudulent pitches involving property-tax reassessment services, fake "processing fees," and impostor government calls have surfaced repeatedly across California in recent years.

The telltale signs in this case are consistent with those patterns: urgency, an unsolicited contact, and a claim tied to a government program that cannot be verified through an official agency.

The safest course, officials said, is simple: no matter how convincing the call, post, or email sounds, verify any property tax claim with the county assessor before filing anything or sending money. For 805-area seniors, that one extra phone call can be the difference between legitimate relief and a costly lesson.