Fake distraint warrant delivered in Garfield County

PRESS RELEASE
April 6, 2022

A bogus tax distraint warrant has appeared in Garfield County, and citizens are asked to be vigilant and not to respond to the fraudulent notices. Garfield County Treasurer Carrie Couey is aware of at least one fake tax distraint warrant that was recently delivered to a resident.

“If an official distraint notice comes from the Garfield County Treasurer’s Office, it will have ‘Garfield County Distraint Warrant’ printed on it, as well as the treasurer’s signature and seal,” she said. “If real, the warrant would be hand-delivered by a member of the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office.”

If you receive a fraudulent notice, please contact the Garfield County Treasurer’s Office either in person at 109 8th Street, Ste. 204, Glenwood Springs; by mail at PO Box 1069, Glenwood Springs, CO 81602; by phone at 970-945-6382; or by email at garfield-county.com/public-trustee/email/.

The fraudulent letter, sent from the “Tax Resolution Unit,” arrived via the U.S. Postal Service in a fold-and-tear mailer that was designed to appear official. It stated that federal tax authorities would aggressively move to collect the taxes through garnishing wages, seizing bank accounts, property, and federal tax refunds, or by creating liens.