This post is specifically for residents in Arizona but who knows if this scam is not going on elsewhere throughout the country. A company called “Property Tax Review Board” or PTRB for short is sending out letters promising homeowners that they can help homeowners reduce their property tax bills for the 2009 tax year for a fee of $189.
Don’t do it – it is a scam!
“These letters are designed to look as if they are coming from a government agency, but are nothing more than an attempt at charging Arizona residents for something they can easily do on their own for free,” Matthew Fehling, BBB President/CEO said.
The letters state that due to the drop in property values, residents need to file again for a reassessment of their 2009 property taxes. However, according to the Maricopa County Assessor’s Office the deadline to file for an administrative review for a possible reduction for the 2009 tax year expired in April 2008.
What that simply means is that you will be throwing your money away. So best advice is to simply throw the letters away or if you want to throw your money away for a service you can do yourself for free, send it to me. 
Postscript: If you look at the comments below, PTRB has defended their action and has indicated that the service they are offering would be for the 2010 tax year. While it is not a scam to offer a “pay-for” service to appeal a homeowner’s property tax assessment, even though the homeowner can do it on their own, I took issue with the fact that the letter PTRB mailed out was not clear on the tax year they’d appeal and suggested that future mailings should be more clear.
So, my original rant was based on the fact that the letter led me to believe they were offering a pay-for service to appeal my 2009 property tax assessment, of which the deadline to appeal has expired.
If in fact PTRB will file an appeal for 2010, then what they are offering is not a scam. However I still feel they should be more forthright in their advertising. Enough said.
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BUSTED!!!!!! Looks like Mike Liville above says he doesn’t agree with this business. Funny, because Mike above is the owner. Read this link. The owner says the exact thing said above. Apparently, the owner doesn’t even agree with this type of business. Busted Mike!! http://www.kpho.com/houseandhome/20321829/detail.html
PTRB, Your business service may not be a scam but I think even you will admit that “Property Tax Review Board” sounds like an official government agency even if you disclose on your form its not. I think you will admit that companies that resort to this kind of trickery (face it, that is what you’re doing), is tied to sleeze.
I am a resident of Clark County NV and today 8/17/2009 recived one of these letters claiming that they can reduce my property tax by $926.10 for “property tax year 2009″. Al I had to do was pay $189.00 to them. So baised on the fact that the date for 2009 tax appeals has pased makes this a fraudulent document/letter. I am passing this letter on to my attony and Congress man to see if this Company and practice can not be closed down forth with. If any one else has these letters please contact your Congress man.
The arizona attorney general has filed a lawsuit with this company. And the post office box in Arizona isn’t even owned by the owner of the company. If you are legitimate, why have a “friend” open the post office box. Plus, the deadline for the 2010 tax appeal has passed also.
In my mother’s letter, it states the estimated savings are $660.40. Her tax bill was less than $500.00! So, if you are legitimate (and my mother dealt with a legitimate service in NY), you would get all your facts straight and you would not charge that much for this service.
I would be willing to give them a try and pay them once I saw something from the government here in Nevada. Any time somebody wants something up front I worry that it would be a scam. They have enough information on us in their letter that I think trust should be two way. Perform and I pay.
Of all the responses David’s quotes really brings it home. The only thing he left out is where it said “RETURN THE SIGNED AUTHORIZATION FORM NO LATER THAN 09/11/2009″
Yeah it does say to assure prompt processing before that but be honest now PTRB, your counting on all the people stressed out looking for anything to get relief. You are wrong and should stop defending. If your goal is to offer a legit service take a more direct honest approach. Integrity will speak for it’s self as the lack of integrity has here. I don’t trust you
@ptrb it doesn’t seem like the state of California or Nevada would agree that your services are not a scam.
http://www.pahrumpvalleytimes.com/2009/Aug-12-Wed-2009/news/30550320.html
I really love all the anti-government talk you spout out. “If people want help and not try to fight the machine (government) on thier know then they can sign up with us for our service it is that simple but for everyone to blast that this is a scam is sadly mistaken.”
You make it sound as if buying is rebelling, sorry ptrb there be no shelter here……..
I received one of these letters
Facts
Tax bill approx $1200
PTRB
Charges $189
PRTB CLAIM
40% drop in property value
SAVINGS APPROX 991.12
Their claim is totally unrealistic!
Do the math…
That makes this a scam!
Sorry PRTB but could you please find an honest way to make a living
I received my letter today from PTRB. While there are disclaimers in the letter I can see where people would be fooled. What I would like see past customers who where really helped by this group. They also state in their letter that the time frame for review can not be guaranteed. That seems to put them off the hook.
Point taken…
@PTRB – In the letter I received, it states as follows:
It goes on to list in the center:
Finally on back where homeowner signs, it has the following statement:
In light of this, don’t you think that most people would assume that you are offering a service to appeal 2009 taxes and if in fact the deadline to appeal 2009 taxes has already passed, then are you surprised that people think you are trying to scam them?
Maybe in your next mailing you should be a bit more clear about which tax year you are going to appeal. If for 2010, then state that in your letter.
I respect the fact that you are defending yourself here and certainly do not see offering such a service in and of itself as a scam. However the sketchiness of the exact tax year is where I and I’m sure many others have a problem.
How about being a bit more clear on that in the future?
We are not looking to take anyone’s hard earned money…if the homeowners read our authorization it states that it is for the current tax year. Since the deadline of 04/2009 has past this would make your current tax appeal year 04/2010. If people want help and not try to fight the machine (government) on thier know then they can sign up with us for our service it is that simple but for everyone to blast that this is a scam is sadly mistaken. We have invested millions of dollars in our effort to reach out to the public through mail and TV and to build our technology to make this a more efficient, steamlined process for the homeowner…that’s a lot of money to invest in an scam, don’t you think? It’s funny we were all over the TV in Arizona in the month of July and we did not get one single complaint or news article stating that we are a scam but now that we have put something tangible in the homwowners hands that they can sit down with and review all of a sudden now we are a scam…how is that? If you want to read about what we do you can go to our website: http://www.mypropertytaxonline.com. And if you think your local and state government is looking out for your best interest you are sadly mistaken as they are just looking to close thier budget gap. Think what you may but we are here to provide a service to the homeowners that sign up with us.
@PTRB – What about the fact that the timeline or deadline for right to appeal has past? Are you given special privileges so that you can still appeal even though the deadline has passed or are you just taking people’s hard earned cash?
First of all…we did not try to mask this as bill or a government document and the best way we felt that we could accomplish that was by putting in an outlined box on the OUTSIDE of the envelope THIS IS NOT A GOVERNMENT DOCUMENT. So what the AG is saying is that anyone who received the letter can not read! What your government officials are most upset about is the fact that thier highly lucrative revenue stream (ie your property taxes) is now being highlighted as over taxed and could start dewindling as a result of our mailer. On another note, it also states in our mailer that the fee is not mandatory unless you want us to represent you. Stop drinking the kool aid that your government officials are peddling and open your eyes…
We just got our special notice from “The Property Tax Review Board.”
Thanks for the heads up – both online and on the news. I hope this fraudulent group gets busted and goes to jail! Some savings!
They say the estimated savings are $884. That’s more than my whole tax bill.
They should not be allowed to get away with this.
Judy Fremerman
glad to have read the above comments. I WAS ALMOST READY TO SIGN UP WITH THESE GUYS.
It is a scam in Arizona because nobody can appeal 2009 values save one exception. That exception is for new owners (those who purchased AFTER December 15, 2008). New owners can appeal to Arizona Tax Court. It costs $142 to file an appeal with Arizona Tax Court because it is filing a small claims case against the County. I seriously doubt the PTRB is going to fork out all but $47 to file at Tax Court.
The saddest thing is the senior citizens who will think it’s a real bill and will pay these ripoff artists.
I hope the California Attorney General socks it to them.
I live in California and have received several of these letters. I just did a search to see who this company is for the very reason that they do have a very official look.
I agree, it’s not a scam, but they do mislead the consumer by making themselves look official.
This is absolutely a service that one could do for themself, but it may very well be worth paying the $179 (in CA) or not.
More research to do, but thanks for starting the conversation for me!
Best to all,
N Hayward
David — You are correct. The fact that the company is masking it as something else is scandalous and thi company may indeed be doing something “not nice” … I was more referring to the type of service as a whole … It is a valid business and it looks like this company is just one of the “bad apples” so to speak. There was a comany here in CA that is getting sued by the state I believe for doing exactly the same thing. It never ceases to amaze me – there are always folks out there looking for the easier softer way.
Have a great weekend.
@Mike Liville – The other thing that makes it a scam is the fact that the whole thing is masked in what looks like something “official” from the government.
Deadline or not, it is likened to those Yellow page bills you get if your a business or even domain renewals from companies that are not your registrar which are nothing more than solicitations. Because they look like bills and people are inundated with mail and the like, many get paid out of ignorance which is exactly why such schemes work.
Just received a letter from “property Tax Review Board” – It sounded like a scam. So I checked it out with a web search. Thanks for the tip.
David,
I’m actually in California so I’m not aware of your deadlines in AZ so maybe I should have reviewed the facts before commenting – my point is that just because somedoy offers to do something that you can do for yourself doesn’t make it a scam.
No in California we actually have a two-tiered system where a person can request an informal appeal directly from the assessors office and if they get denied or if they are not happy with the new number that have the option of taking to an assessment appeals board.
Does AZ have a similar system?
@Mike Liville – What about the fact that the company is promising to do something for the homeowner that they cannot possibly complete (e.g., the deadline to file for an administrative review for a possible reduction for the 2009 tax year expired in April 2008)?
So in essence, all they are going to bank the $189.
Mr. Wallace,
While I do not agree with the companies like this that try to be deceive homeowners by making “official” looking documents – the concept of having somebody help you do what you don’t want to do is not a SCAM. This is the entire basis of “Jiffy Lube” right – I can change my own oil but I choose not to. This doesn’t mean that Jiffy Lube is a scam – it just means they provide a service that many people don’t understand or enjoy – landscapers, housecleaners, pool services, etc.