UCAN interviewed with Channel 10 reporter Michael Chen regarding a new twist to the tax reassessment letters offering to lower your annual property taxes for a fee. The letters are very official looking and even include late fee penalties. As will be shown by Michael Chen, the service is free of charge through the San Diego County Assessor's office. Go to http://www.10news.com/video/18747844/ to see the entire story including an 82-year old victim who paid $186 for a promised annual savings of over $600 on her property taxes. She hasn't heard from the company since she sent and received the canceled check showing it was deposited quickly.

The first round of letters were sent to Californians before tax time in 2008 and the return address was . The second round of letters is now hitting consumer mailboxes. Last year consumers were sent letters by a Los Angeles-based group and this year, letters show the company return address as California Tax Reassessment with a San Diego phone number of 619-288-3340. Another letter recipient who lives in San Francisco is an attorney and noticed some irregularities due to the Los Angeles return address and the phone number listed as 888-879-4259.

An attorney at the San Diego District Attorney's office informed UCAN yesterday that any people who believe they have been victims of a scam or fraud, must first call their local police department to request a police report. What is unclear at this point, is why the D.A. website has consumer fraud division phone numbers listed. If the procedure is to file a police report, it might be more helpful to consumers if the D.A. website states this information.

Advice to Consumers: 1) If the return address is not San Diego County
Administration Center at 1600 Pacific Hwy, Room 162, San Diego, CA
92101-2474 and if money is requested, don't be quick to
write a check for a service that is provided for free;

2) Call or visit your local police department to file a report if you are a victim of a scam or have been a victim of fraud;

3) File an on-line complaint with your D.A., City Attorney and your Attorney General offices and make copies of all original documents pertinent to the fraud or scam; and

4) If you are receiving unwanted mail, the San Diego D.A. suggested removing your name from all lists by writing to the Direct Marketing Association's "Mail Preference Service" at P.O. Box 643 Carmel, NY 10512. Please know that UCAN does not endorse any service that polices itself in certain states and lobbies to get rid of existing legislation and pending legislation in applicable states. See

http://www.the-dma.org/donotmail/CRSDoNotMailReport.pdf .

UCAN's real advice is to read every piece of mail thoroughly or take correspondence you don't understand to a trusted friend to read with you. UCAN advises you to call numbers on letters to ask detailed questions. As my mom and grandmother always said; when in doubt, don't do!