Spokane County Treasurer’s Office warns of tax scam by mail

The Spokane County Treasurer’s Office alerted taxpayers of a mail scam that demands payment of a phony tax debt.

The letter threatens garnishment, property seizure or property lien without payment and claims to be from the “Tax Resolution Unit” of Spokane County. But a news release from the county treasurer’s office said the letter is not from its office and appears to be like scam letters sent in other municipalities.

Dan Bisbee, intergovernmental affairs officer at the treasurer’s office, said King County was one of those municipalities.

“This type of mailer is, unfortunately, a common way that scammers intimidate victims into either paying fraudulent fees or revealing personal information about their finances and bank accounts,” Treasurer Michael Baumgartner said in the release. “Scammers are clever, but we can fight back. We do that by building trust with our taxpayers, and by being as transparent as possible about what kind of mail we send out in our County, and what kind of language we use. Taxpayers unsure about mail they receive regarding tax debts should feel free to reach out to our office for clarification.”

A resident, who Bisbee said is the only one the office is aware of to receive the scam letter, alerted the treasurer’s office about the letter, which included several official looking features, such as a seal, bar code and the statement, “IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED,” the release said.

However, it was postmarked from Sacramento, California, and its return address included a “Public Judgement Records” department. There is no such office in Spokane County, the release said.

Inside, a personalized memo addressed to the resident detailed an alleged tax debt the resident owed to “Federal Tax Authorities.” The letter concluded with an (800) phone number for the resident to call to avoid enforcement action.

Correspondence from the Spokane County Treasurer’s Office typically includes the crossed keys official seal of the Treasurer of Spokane County and a local return address, which is “PO Box 199, Spokane WA 99210-0199” for property tax-related correspondence.

The county does not collect or enforce any kind of federal taxes, the office said. Taxpayers generally receive an annual county property tax statement in March. The second-half property tax due date is Oct. 31.

For questions about correspondence you receive about taxes, visit the office’s website at spokanecounty.org/910/FAQs or call (509) 477-4713.

“We’re just trying to stress, ‘Hey, if something looks fishy, just call us and ask us, and we’ll try to straighten it out for you,” Bisbee said.