BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — A fake government form is circulating in AI-generated videos online, falsely promising seniors they can freeze their property taxes or stop paying school-bond charges, and Kern County officials say it is already generating calls and walk-ins at the assessor-recorder's office.
The videos promote a form called "1098-SR," claiming people over 65 can use it to eliminate certain tax obligations. Kern County Assessor-Recorder Laura Avila says the form does not exist.
"In the last couple weeks, we've been receiving phone calls and customers — or taxpayers, property owners — coming into our counter and asking to fill out this form 1098-SR," Avila said.
Avila says her office searched for the form and could not find any federal program tied to it. While some other states offer similar property tax programs, California does not.
When her staff explains the form is not real, residents are often upset because they heard about it from friends or saw it in videos online and often believe they are being denied.
Avila says some of the videos appear on YouTube and are labeled as AI-generated at the bottom. The videos are broad, she says, targeting multiple states without specifying which programs apply where, and they feature what appear to be real people explaining programs that do not exist in California.
Avila says her office has not confirmed anyone losing money or being asked to pay, which is why she is calling this a preventive advisory. But she is concerned about what could come next.
"My fear is that the next phase of this will be somebody soliciting seniors for money to help file these forms — or to promise that they can get them filed for them to freeze their taxes," Avila said.
She says her office has seen similar patterns before, where awareness of a fake program is followed by mailers offering to file the forms for a fee.
Avila says her office will never ask for sensitive personal information — including Social Security numbers or dates of birth — over the phone or by email. She says those requests only happen on official forms or in person.
"Just safeguard your information and ask questions," Avila said. "We're here to help. We never want anyone to get taken advantage of."
Joan Bryant, director of the Bakersfield Senior Center, says technology is making familiar schemes harder to recognize.
"It's harder to tell what's real and what's not," Bryant said.
Bryant says the senior center has heard from members about various scams, including calls about grandchildren in trouble and offers to remotely fix computers in exchange for personal information. The center occasionally hosts seminars with local law enforcement and aging and adult services to help residents stay informed.
Additionally, local senior Tony Saldana says he would not engage with an unsolicited video or call walking him through how to submit a form — and he has a straightforward message for others.
"If you don't understand it, don't go into it. Just don't do it," Saldana said.
Saldana also raised a broader concern about scams targeting homeowners who have paid off their properties.
"There's a lot of people scamming on people that have their houses paid off, and they want to take your property," Saldana said. "The house does not belong to the bank anymore. This is your property, and they will take it."
Avila says legitimate property-tax relief programs do exist in California. Every homeowner with a primary residence can apply for the homeowner's exemption, which takes $7,000 off the assessed value of one primary residence. A property tax postponement program, available to homeowners 55 and older and administered through the state controller's office, allows eligible residents to defer paying property taxes.
Neither program freezes property taxes, which is what the circulating videos falsely claim is possible.
Anyone who believes they have already shared personal information or lost money to a scam should contact law enforcement.
Homeowners with questions about legitimate programs can contact the Kern County Assessor-Recorder's office directly.
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