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Friday, September 4, 2026
County Officials Warn Pasadena Property Owners About Fake ‘Form 1098-SR’ Property Tax Freeze Spreading Online
Assessor Jeff Prang and three other department heads say no such IRS form exists; the same scheme has prompted alerts from Kern to Sonoma counties and as far away as Wisconsin in the past month
Four Los Angeles County department heads warned Pasadena homeowners and other property owners across the county Thursday about a scam spreading through social media videos and phone calls that promises to freeze or cut property taxes by filing a nonexistent federal form called 1098-SR.
Assessor Jeff Prang, Treasurer and Tax Collector Elizabeth Buenrostro Ginsberg, Auditor-Controller Oscar Valdez and Department of Consumer and Business Affairs Director Rafael Carbajal issued the joint warning, saying the claims are aimed particularly at seniors, according to a news release from the Assessor’s Office.
The pitch tells homeowners they can reduce or freeze their property taxes by filing a supposed IRS “Form 1098-SR.” No such form exists, and no federal property tax relief program exists, the officials said. Versions of the claim promote a federal program that can freeze property taxes for seniors, reduce property tax bills or let homeowners avoid certain local taxes or school bonds.
“This is exactly the kind of misinformation that can be particularly harmful to seniors and homeowners who are looking for legitimate ways to reduce their property tax burden,” Prang said. “There is no federal 1098-SR form that freezes or reduces your property taxes. California does have legitimate property tax relief programs, but homeowners should verify information with the appropriate government agency before providing personal information or paying anyone for assistance.”
Property taxes in California are governed by state law and administered locally; the federal government does not determine, cap or freeze local property tax assessments, the release said.
The warning lands in a city where property taxes matter to the municipal bottom line. Pasadena receives about 21 percent of the basic 1 percent property tax levy collected within its borders, and the city’s fiscal 2027 budget, adopted June 15, counts on roughly $379.7 million in General Fund revenue. Countywide, the 2026 assessment roll closed at a record $2.272 trillion in net taxable value across nearly 2.4 million taxable parcels.
Los Angeles County is the latest jurisdiction to sound the alarm. Kern, Mariposa, Sonoma and Ventura counties each issued similar advisories in August, with Ventura’s assessor reporting numerous calls, emails and in-person visits from property owners asking about the supposed program. Wisconsin’s Department of Revenue said Thursday that the viral video driving the scam there was generated with artificial intelligence and directs viewers to phone numbers that reach scammers rather than county assessors, and a Michigan township noted that a real IRS Form 1098 exists but covers mortgage interest, not property taxes.
Buenrostro Ginsberg cautioned property owners against responding to unsolicited demands for payment or personal information. “Property tax scams often try to create a sense of urgency or use official-sounding language to convince taxpayers that they must act immediately,” she said. “Before making a payment or providing financial information in response to an unsolicited communication, taxpayers should verify the information directly with an official government source.”
Carbajal said scams targeting homeowners can lead to identity theft as well as financial loss. “Never provide Social Security numbers, banking information or other sensitive personal information to an unsolicited caller, email, text message or website,” he said. “When someone promises a benefit that sounds too good to be true, verify it independently before taking action.”
The officials pointed property owners to the relief programs that do exist under California law:
— Proposition 13, which generally limits annual increases in a property’s assessed value to no more than 2 percent, except when there is a change in ownership, new construction or another event requiring reassessment.
— Proposition 19, which lets eligible homeowners who are 55 or older, severely disabled, or victims of wildfire or other natural disasters transfer their taxable base-year value to a replacement principal residence, subject to eligibility requirements. The provision has been a lifeline for Eaton Fire survivors in neighboring Altadena, where the Assessor’s Office has been proactively lowering values on damaged properties.
— The Homeowners’ Exemption, which provides a $7,000 reduction in assessed value for an owner-occupied principal residence.
— The Disabled Veterans’ Exemption, which provides relief for qualifying disabled veterans and, in some circumstances, their surviving spouses.
— The Property Tax Postponement program, administered by the California State Controller, which allows certain eligible seniors and blind or disabled homeowners who meet income, equity and other requirements to defer current-year property taxes. The postponed taxes must eventually be repaid and a lien is placed on the property.
The release also spelled out which office does what: the Assessor determines assessed values and administers exemptions and exclusions; the Auditor-Controller calculates tax rates and amounts and apportions revenue to taxing agencies; the Treasurer and Tax Collector issues bills and collects payments; and the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs provides consumer education and investigates fraud, scams and identity theft.
“No legitimate property tax program requires you to file a mysterious federal form you learned about through social media,” Prang said. “When in doubt, go directly to the government agency responsible for the program.”
Residents who receive a fraudulent solicitation should not provide personal or financial information or send money, the officials said. Anyone who believes they have been victimized should contact law enforcement and report the matter to consumer protection authorities.
Official property tax information is available from the Assessor at https://www.google.com/url?q=
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