Scammers may be posing as Delco data collectors

MEDIA » Delaware County officials warn county residents of a person posing as a reassessment data collector trying to gain access to people’s homes.

On Thursday, the county issued an alert of a person posing as a data collector for the county’s Tax Reassessment Project who asked to enter a woman’s home.

Officials say data collectors hired by the county would never ask to enter a home. They say if someone posing as a data collector asks to enter a home, the resident should immediately contact police.

Data collectors will knock on the door, identify themselves if someone is home and then tell that person why they’re there but all data collection is done from the outside of the home, according to authorities.

Delaware County was ordered to conduct a countywide reassessment by the Common Pleas Court in March 2017 so that it would be effective for the 2021 tax year.

Starting last December, staff from Tyler Technologies Inc. have been photographing properties from inside white vans on the street. Any Tyler representative will be wearing a bright yellow vest with the name “Tyler” on its back. They also will be displaying county-issued identification.

County officials said these pictures will only be taken from the street and staff will not enter private property. Pictures will not be taken of homeowners or children.

After these pictures have been taken, about 20 percent of the properties will be visited by an appraiser to correct any discrepancies found during the verification process. There, the appraiser will measure the outside of all structures on the property.

If the property owner isn’t home to provide information about the interior or other details, the data collector will estimate the inside features based on similar properties in the neighborhood.

In addition, county officials hired EagleView Technologies to take aerial pictures of properties. The process, called pictometry, includes both orthogonal, or straight down, pictures and oblique, or bird’s eye view, images of the entire county.

The county has set up a website dedicated solely for reassessment and can be reached at: http://delcorealestate.co.delaware.pa.us/delcoreassessment. Residents may also call the Reassessment Hotline at 610-891-5695 if they have any questions.