Garfield County residents have been bilked out of more than $500,000 by con men running a lottery scam, according to the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office in Glenwood Springs.
According to investigators, the con men contact victims and tell them that they have won a large amount of money in a lottery.
The suspects tell the victims they represent government agencies in either the United States or Costa Rica and that they must pay taxes and penalties on the proceeds before they can collect the money.
Garfield County investigators say the scammers then follow up with multiple telephone calls and fraudulent documents, trying to entice the victims to pay the bogus taxes and penalties.
The representations being made are false, and no government agencies are involved, according to authorities.
Both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Garfield County Sheriff’s Department are investigating.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
