Douglas County Appraiser's Office warns of property tax scam
The Douglas County Appraiser’s Office is warning homeowners, particularly seniors, about a property tax scam circulating through online videos and social media. The scam falsely claims that homeowners can reduce or freeze their property taxes by submitting a federal IRS form called “Form 1098-SR.”
No such IRS form or federal property tax relief program exists.
The false claims promote a nonexistent federal program that supposedly allows seniors and other homeowners to freeze their property taxes, lower tax bills or avoid local taxes.
“Our office has received several inquiries about the claim, and we are letting residents know that it is a scam,” County Appraiser Brad Eldridge said. “There is no federal ‘Form 1098-SR’ that freezes or reduces property taxes.”
Property taxes are administered only by local and state governments, not the federal government.
Residents who receive unsolicited communications promising tax savings should verify the information through an official government source before providing personal information or making a payment.
Douglas County Sheriff Jay Armbrister emphasized the importance of verifying the sender.
“Take steps to contact the appropriate office or agency through an official posted number — not one given to you in a letter, email or text you might receive,” Armbrister said. "There is never any harm in having a trusted person put a second pair of eyes on a form, particularly related to a financial matter. We would rather have people question something up front than try to react after it might be too late.”
Legitimate property tax relief programs
Douglas County offers a Property Tax Rebate Program for eligible homeowners who are 65 and older or disabled veterans. Eligible residents may receive a rebate of up to $400, or the county portion of their property tax, whichever is less.
Eligibility requirements include:
- Applicant must be the current owner and occupant of the home
- Age 65 or older, or disabled veteran as defined by K.S.A. 79-4502
- Total household income at or below the Kansas Homestead Refund program income limit or the HUD Very Low Household Income Guidelines for 2025, whichever is higher
- Household income includes 50% of Social Security and SSI Benefits
- Does not include Social Security Disability or SSI Disability Payments
- County appraised value of home does not exceed $350,000
- Home cannot be used as a short-term rental
Applications for the 2027 tax year rebate will be accepted Jan. 15, 2027, through April 15, 2027. Information is available at dgcoks.gov/taxrebate. For questions, email propertytaxrebate@dgcoks.gov, call (785) 832-5167 or visit the Douglas County Clerk’s Office at 1100 Massachusetts St. in Lawrence.
The Kansas Department of Revenue also offers programs, including:
Watch for Medicare scams
Senior Resource Center Manager Megan Poindexter also warns residents about scams related to Medicare open enrollment.
“The best way to protect yourself is to be a skeptic and to slow down. If anyone asks for your personal information, you do not need to act with urgency,” Poindexter said. “Take time to verify who they are.”
The Senior Resource Center will host a presentation by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office about how to identify scams and fraud at 2 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 3, at 745 Vermont St.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
