San Juan County Treasurer Jan Sears reports that a number of senior citizens around the state have received apparently deceptive telephone solicitations from a company that is marketing reverse home mortgages.

As a lead-in to selling their product, the solicitor asks for personal information such as employment status, income, and age, under the guise of attempting to help the senior determine whether they qualify for our property tax relief programs or for aid and assistance programs for veterans.  The solicitors imply that they are marketing these benefit programs on the state’s behalf.

According to the State Department of Revenue, some information provided to taxpayers was incorrect. For example, one taxpayer was told he could have a refund on property taxes paid for the five previous years and in another case tenants were told they qualified for a property tax exemption on their rental home. Over the past few days, the DOR has received complaints from Clark, Lewis, and Thurston Counties.

Anyone receiving a similiar call in San Juan County should contact 378-2171.