Lottery scam costs Garfield County victims

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. ” Authorities say Garfield County residents have been taken for more than $500,000 in a lottery scam.

The Garfield County sheriff’s office said Thursday it received a report about the scam last month and has forwarded information to the FBI.

Victims were told they’d won a large sum of money but that they had to pay taxes and penalties on the winnings before they could claim them. The scammers then followed up with phone calls and documentation, and falsely claimed to be government representatives, assuring victims the winnings would be released once the fees were paid in full.

Sheriff’s spokeswoman Holly Hopple said she didn’t have an estimate on the number of people who were victimized by the scam.