Genie Stemper was skeptical the moment she opened the official-looking letter. A company called Property Tax Assessment claimed she was entitled to a big reduction in her property taxes. All she had to do was return the payment coupon to a Los Angeles address and send a check for $171.

"It absolutely looks like a bill," said Stemper, whose skepticism was confirmed when she received notice from the Ventura County Assessor's Office that her home had been reassessed for free.

"The letter clearly is not an advertisement," the Westlake Village woman said. "They went out of their way to make it look official. All I could think about was, I wouldn't want my grandma to get one and sit down and write a check."

Assessor Dan Goodwin's advice is to find the nearest paper shredder. Property owners can easily do the paperwork themselves to request reassessments, at no cost. And this year, with the real estate slump, his office did it without even being asked, mailing letters last month to 30,000 homeowners countywide whose properties had been reassessed and devalued to lower their property tax bills.

Goodwin said Friday that he contacted a manager in the Ventura County district attorney's consumer fraud division, and the office agreed to investigate the solicitation. Goodwin said the $171 fee and a purported late charge of $67 if the homeowner didn't reply within a deadline were questionable.

"I don't want to see anyone get ripped off," he said. "If it doesn't have my name on it and says it's from the assessor of Ventura County, then don't pay it any attention."

It's incredibly dishonest'

Ellen Fowler, 83, of Camarillo got one of the letters and was appalled. Her neighbor got one, too.

"It might be legal, but to me it's incredibly dishonest," said Fowler, who sent a copy to the District Attorney's Office. "I live in a seniors community, so I guess they think we are all stupid. It burns me."

Officials in the district attorney's consumer fraud office said they had been informed of the letters but could not comment on any investigation.

Using names like Property Tax Assessment, Property Tax Reassessment and Property Tax Adjustment Inc., the companies claim to act as a homeowner's agent to guarantee a lower property tax bill for a fee ranging from $95 to $171. Some of the letters have official-looking logos similar to the county's and display a person's property value information.

These companies are not affiliated with any government agencies, and homeowners do not need to be represented by them to request a Proposition 8 "Decline in Value" reduction, Goodwin said.

In fact, Ventura is among several counties, including Alameda, Contra Costa, Solano and San Joaquin, that conducted large-scale re-evaluations of properties this spring to see if property taxes should be reduced.

Goodwin's office reviewed 40,000 properties — virtually every one sold over the past four years — out of about 200,000 countywide. About 30,000 homeowners were sent notices last month informing them of their reduced tax bills, he said.

Call will be disconnected

Despite falling values, any home purchased more than five years ago, unless damaged by an act of Mother Nature, likely would not benefit from a re-assessment, because Proposition 13 limits valuation increases to 2 percent a year, he said.

"It would be sad for someone to pay $171 for someone to review something that has little to no chance to be reduced," Goodwin said.

The Better Business Bureau reports that many of these firms exaggerate or misrepresent their ability and expertise in getting settlements or reassessments and often promise more than they can deliver.

Efforts to contact Property Tax Assessment and the other companies were unsuccessful. One firm, Property Tax Adjustment Services, lists a Ventura mailing address and local phone number. When called, the number rings and rings, then an automated voice says the call will be disconnected.

On the Net:

http://assessor.countyofventura.org