Montana homeowners have until October 1 to apply for the property tax rebate. Homeowners applying for the rebate, however, should be on the lookout for suspicious or fraudulent activity related to Montana property tax rebate scams that state officials are also warning about.

Montana Property Tax Rebate Scams: What Applicants Need To Know

The Montana Department of Revenue advises applicants to watch out for suspicious activity related to the property tax rebate. The department said that it has received reports of websites charging a fee to find homeowners geocodes needed to complete the application.

According to the department, the geocode information is freely available; thus, websites charging a fee to provide this information is a scam. Information on how to find the geocodes information is available at the Montana Department of Revenue’s website.

“Montana property taxpayers do not have to pay for any information required to apply for the property tax rebate,” the department says.

Additionally, the department warns applicants of another scam where scammers are trying to claim a rebate in someone else’s name. The department encourages applicants to apply as soon as possible to lower the risk of identity theft.

Also, the department strongly recommends applicants apply through GetMyRebate.mt.gov to further reduce the risk of criminals using their information to claim the rebate. The department anticipates that it could take up to 90 days to process the applications and send paper checks by mail.

According to the department, claiming the rebate takes only a few minutes. About two weeks back, the department informed us that more than 100,000 homeowners have successfully applied for the rebate since the online portal opened on August 15.

Property Tax Rebates Will Be Sent By Paper Check Only

Following reports related to Montana property tax rebate scams, the Department of Revenue recently decided to send all rebate checks by paper check in the mail. The department said it had removed the option to get the rebate money by direct deposit.

According to the department, it has received numerous applications where the direct deposit information didn’t match the information in the department’s records. The department admits that many of these claims are from qualified taxpayers who have changed banks, but some are fraudulent.

“We expected fraud and already had measures in place to identify fraudulent applications,” said the department’s revenue director, Brendan Beatty. “Sending the rebates by paper check will help us further reduce fraud.”

Applicants are being asked to immediately contact the Montana Department of Revenue if they believe someone else has filed a fraudulent claim on their behalf.

Eligible applicants can get up to $675 in property relief on a primary residence in both 2023 and 2024. The application period for the Montana property tax rebate is now open and ends on Oct. 1, 2023.

Visit GetMyRebate.mt.gov to get information on qualification requirements to claim the rebate.

This article originally appeared on ValueWalk

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