Athol residents warned about phone scam for property taxes

ATHOL — Residents are warned against giving out personal information when called about their next round of property tax bills.

At the Tuesday, Nov. 7, Selectboard meeting, Principal Assessor Lisa Aldrich said that earlier that day she had spoken with a resident who had been called by someone identifying themselves as “working for the town.” The resident was then asked if their third quarter property tax bill had been received and when the resident said it had not, they were asked for their personal information to verify the bill. The next tax bill won’t be sent until the end of the year.

“Don’t answer anything over the phone,” she said. “We don’t call people to ask if they got their bill.”

Town Manager Shaun Suhoski said his office was also informed of the scam calls and recommended that residents call the tax collector at 978-721-8446 to verify if a town employee made the call. He added that town employees would never call to ask for a resident’s information.

“This isn’t unique to towns, this happens all the time,” he said. “You need to use great caution. Don’t be overly trusting. If in doubt, disconnect the call.”

Max Bowen can be reached at 413-930-4074 or at mbowen@recorder.com.