We recently had a few citizens call because they received what looked like an invoice from their “Local Records Office”, billing them for a copy of the deed to their property. Beware! This is a scam!
The Calhoun County Property Appraiser will never solicit you to pay for a copy of your deed. We provide this to you at no charge. Call our office if you have any questions or concerns.
The average person could be alarmed and feel compelled to act quickly upon receiving one of these in the mail. The outside of the envelope states, in all CAPS, “IMPORTANT PROPERTY INFORMATION RESPOND PROMPTLY.” There is even a return address, to the “Local Records Office” in Tallahassee.
As you move to the right side of the envelope, there is a box warning of a $2,000 fine, five years imprisonment for interfering or obstructing with delivery of this letter. Yikes! This must be one important document inside. The warning is so strong, you may even fail to notice the line below, “THIS IS NOT A GOVERNMENT DOCUMENT.”
Inside, is what appears to be a bill for your property. Often, people want to pay it quickly to avoid any issues or additional penalties. Occasionally, there may be fine print at the bottom of the document which says, “THIS OFFER SERVES AS A SOLICITING FOR SERVICES AND NOT TO BE INTERPRETED AS BILL DUE . . .THIS IS NOT A BILL. THIS IS A SOLICITATION YOU ARE UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO PAY THE AMOUNT STATED, UNLESS YOU ACCEPT THIS OFFER.”
Click the link below to see what the scam letter looks like.