Fulton woman wasn’t told she owed the county thousands, now a collections agency is after her

A Fulton County woman says it was a collections bill that alerted her to more than $3,000 in taxes she owed to Fulton County, not the county itself.

“I just find it very frustrating that like any other bill, you’re given a notice, and then you’re given a 30-day notice,” Dina Wells said.

County records show her tax debt was transferred and sold to a third-party collections agency, Investa Services.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks ]

She told Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Ashli Lincoln she suspects the owed taxes are from a refinance she did on her property a few years ago, but she says the county never alerted her about a delinquent bill.

“I’m like where is this coming from  Wells said.

Channel 2 Action News first told you about Investa Services when Patricia Walker discovered the company purchased a tax debt she says she also didn’t know she owed .

“I looked at it and seen that my property was transferred and sold, oh I had heart palpitations,” Walker said.

MORE FROM 2 INVESTIGATES:

• Metro man warns he was scammed out of $800 after googling spoofed number for Budget car rental
• Metro Atlanta customers of cryptocurrency site say they haven’t had access to money for months
• UGA researchers working to limit ‘forever chemicals’ in water as EPA announces new restrictions

Lincoln learned Fulton County is one of a few counties in the state of Georgia that outsources tax debt collections to independent investors, like Investa Services.

Once these companies get involved, they become the tax collector, collecting fees and interest from property owners. And if owners don’t pay, they could lose their house.

“I just paid it, because I didn’t want another scare, another letter from Investa,” Wells said.

For weeks, Channel 2 Action News has sent multiple emails and phone calls to the county about homeowners not being alerted about these liens.

The county still hasn’t responded to our request.

Last month, the tax commissioner did address the public after the county’s systems were restored due to a cyber hack. Channel 2 Action News wanted to know if that hack impacted their notification service.

Channel 2 Action News will continue to follow this story.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter ]

IN RELATED NEWS: