Are property tax recovery services a scam?

[project15]

I keep getting junk mail from lawfirms that say I may be entitled to overpaid property taxes.

I do believe that my property taxes may have been over paid as the previous owners didn't seem to claim their homeowner's exemption and I had to pay higher taxes when I bought the house than what my neighbors paid. I haven't filed anything to retrieve back taxes from the county, I've only updated my tax status to get the homeowners exempt status from now on. Should I look into these lawfirms? Their add says that they only get paid a certain percent if they get me some money.

[GREENBACK]

I think I would go to the auditor's office first to get the real scoop on this. I'm assuming what you're describing is some kind of bulk mailing that is fishing for clients.

[MonkeyMama]

In general, these things can be done on our own. I agree with contacting the auditor - or assessor's office.

Heck, I have got a TON of those things in the mail, and the assessor lowered our assessments to well below market value, this year. Meaning, we didn't have to do anything. (I have been keeping an eye on things and was ready to petition for lower taxes, if we needed to. I was surprised the county was so generous, in the end. They just massively adjusted everyone's assessment down rather than deal with all the adjustment petitions they would have gotten otherwise).

[Snippa]

You might want to check online by doing a quick search and see if others have been scammed by this kind of service. It may just be that as Greenback said, it's just someone fishing for clients. But it *could* be a scam... there are enough of them around.

Dee

[project15]

Greenback, you are very correct in that it's a fishing mail as it clearly looks like one. Good advice on going in to the assessor's office myself and looking into it, I'll have to do that.

[jasonnoguchi]

Well, as you said, these are "junk mails". If its anything important to do with you-your money-government, then it will be in physical mails, not emails.

[project15]

Well, as you said, these are "junk mails". If its anything important to do with you-your money-government, then it will be in physical mails, not emails.

No, they're physical pieces of mail that I receive in my mailbox. But they're still junk mail as it's just a mass mailer that they found my name on a list somewhere.