County investigating mail fraud, tax payment theft
The Napa County Treasurer-Tax Collector Bob Minahen, in coordination with the Napa County Sheriff and the District Attorney, has reported a recent increase in mail fraud involving multiple property tax payments.
They are urging taxpayers to use secure online payment options to avoid potential mail fraud.
According to an announcement from Minahen’s office, several property tax checks mailed to Napa County were stolen during transit through the United States Postal Service. The checks were washed, removing the Napa County Tax Collector as the payee, and cashed using a fraudulent name.
The United States Postal Investigation Services has a mail theft/violent crimes team that works in cooperation with local law enforcement to prosecute these types of crimes. Learn more here: United State Postal Inspection Service.
“We urge taxpayers to consider using safer, faster, and more secure payment options to protect themselves from check fraud,” Minahen said. “We take these crimes seriously and are committed to providing alternatives to protect the financial security of Napa County taxpayers.”
Taxpayers who recently mailed a check for their secured property taxes are strongly encouraged to verify that their payment was received on the Napa County property tax website at https://common2.mptsweb.com/mbc/napa/tax/search. Those who have not yet paid are also urged to use secure online payment options to avoid potential mail fraud.
Taxpayers can access property tax information and make payments by using the QR code printed on their tax bills. To do this, open the camera feature on a mobile phone and frame the QR code on the tax bill, and information will be displayed on the phone.
Taxpayers can also make payments at www.countyofnapa.org/tax.
Transaction fees of 2.32% are collected on credit and debit card transactions.
E-Check payments are free.
In addition, the Napa County Treasurer-Tax Collector’s Office is open for in-person payments from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, leading up to the April 10 due date. Napa County facilities will be closed on March 31.
