Beware of 'jury duty' phone scam

Here's an alert from our Statewide Health Insurance Benefit Advisors (SHIBA) about a recent phone scam:

People claiming to be law enforcement officials have been calling residents in the Spokane area recently, demanding money to stay out of jail for missing jury duty. Spokane police say the scam involves callers telling people they missed jury duty and have a bench warrant for their arrest. The scammer then asks for money over the phone.

Police advise the public that police officers never call people, whether they have an arrest warrant or not, to request payment. If you receive such a call, hang up and call your local police department to report the incident.

SHIBA provides free, unbiased and confidential assistance with Medicare and health care choices. Read more at http://bit.ly/SHIBA