The Erie County Clerk, Michael P. Kearns, warned Erie County residents of a letter-scam where a letter, purporting to be from an employee of the “Erie County Department of Equalization,” demands further payment before the end of the month of transfer tax owed to the County upon conveyance of real property. This tax is paid to the County of Erie and State of New York at the time of a real estate closing.

Red flags in this scam letter include:                                                                                         

● There is no Erie County Department of Equalization.

● There is no county employee named “Peerless M. Threats.”

● The payment link provided in the letter has been disabled.

● If there was an underpayment of transfer tax the issue would be handled by the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, not Erie County. 

If you receive a scam letter such as the one pictured be aware it is not legitimate or from Erie County. Did you receive this mailer and have further questions you can contact the attorney who handled the real estate transaction or contact the legal department of Erie County Clerk’s office, 716-858-6348.

If you receive any questionable letters in the mail and you would like to research the legitimacy of the document, reach out to our office via phone, 716-858-6169, or email consumerprotection@erie.gov, for further assistance. We are here to help!