The top 4 scams in Wichita this past week

Here’s a list of the main scams going around the Wichita area during the past week, according to the Sedgwick County Consumer Protection Division.

The division was contacted by 43 consumers between July 23 and July 29. Here are the top four scams and the number of people who reported them.

9 — Internal Revenue Service scams: A scammer calls and claims the individual owes the IRS money. Dead giveaway: The IRS typically does not contact consumers by telephone. Eight of the nine consumers were contacted by phone and one via e-mail, which said the consumer provided an incorrect office address and provided a link suggesting he correct it.

3 — Computer scams: Two consumers said they were contacted by a scammer over the phone. The third consumer said a pop-up internet notification appeared after their computer froze. The pop-up ad supposedly said the computer was being locked by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and provided a phone number for the consumer to call.

3 — Past debt scams: The scammer poses as a debt collector. Best advice: Call the lender or debt collector directly using the number listed on your bill. Two of these scams came via phone and one by e-mail.

2 — Lottery scams: The scammer claims you won a sum of money but instructs you to pay a fee, buy something or deposit a portion of the money back. One consumer was contacted through a text message and the other via a phone call.

If you think you might be the victim of a scam, call the Consumer Protection Division at 316-660-3653.

This story was originally published July 31, 2015 at 7:52 PM with the headline "The top 4 scams in Wichita this past week."