Scams reported in the Wichita area – Nov. 12 to Nov. 19

Scammers pulled out some old tricks and some new last week in the Wichita area.

A jury duty scam resurfaced earlier in the week in which a scammer calls, claiming the individual missed jury duty and needs to pay a fine to avoid arrest. This time, the scammer’s phone number appeared to look as if it were from an official county line.

Karen Spencer, jury coordinator for Sedgwick County, said the county only sends jury notifications by mail and does not call about arrest warrants from missed jury duty.

To check if you have a jury duty summons, she said to call the jury duty line at 316-660-9101. Spencer also said she advises people to check jury information with the federal court system. If the individual doesn’t find jury summons with either court system, she says they should file a police report about the scam.

The Sedgwick County Consumer Protection Division also received a report about a health insurance scam.

A consumer reported that a scammer called and started to explain different health insurance plans. This scam was reported in other areas of the state for plans bought off the federal marketplace.

Insurance enrollment centers do not make cold calls, so don’t give out personal or payment information to anyone unless you initiated the call.

“It’s always easier to stop, hang up and check it out than to give money and figure it out later when you’ll never get your money back,” said Sharon Werner, chief attorney for the Sedgwick County Consumer Protection Division.

Werner said she advises people that “anything that has a sense of incredible urgency is almost always a scam.”

Here are the top six scams from last week and the number of people who reported them.

IRS scam (5): A scammer calls and claims the individual owes the IRS money. Advice: The IRS typically does not contact consumers by telephone.

Past-debt scam (3): The scammer poses as a debt collector. Advice: Call the lender or debt collector directly using the number listed on your bill.

Computer scam (3): Consumers reported being contacted by phone, e-mail and pop-up ads regarding computer problems with offers to fix them. Advice: Do not give out access to your computer or give payment to someone unless you initiated the call. Do not click on links that appear to be fake or scam advertisements.

Grandparent scam (2): Someone calls and pretends to be a grandchild who needs money. Advice: Call another relative and confirm the identity of the grandchild.

Lottery scam (1): 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. Advice: Don’t pay money to receive money.

Business order invoice scam (1): A business said it received an invoice for printers it never ordered. Advice: contact the company directly.

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 November 20, 2015 at 7:18 PM with the headline "Scams reported in the Wichita area – Nov. 12 to Nov. 19."