MEDIA RELEASE

The Hawai’i Police Department is warning the public about an automobile repair scam.

A South Kohala man was approached by an unidentified man in the parking lot of a shopping center. The unidentified man said he had observed the victim’s vehicle on the roadway with a wobbling rear tire and offered to fix the problem for a fee.

The two men proceeded to the victim’s home and then the suspect left with the victim’s vehicle. He returned a short time later, informed the victim that the repairs had been completed and demanded cash payment in the amount of $4,000.

Police are requesting that the public protect themselves and their interests by taking all automotive concerns to a licensed automotive repair technician.

MEDIA RELEASE

Big Island police are warning the public about a telephone lottery scam.

A North Kohala woman reported that she received several phone calls in the last two to three weeks claiming she had won lotteries ranging from $50,000 to $6 million. The caller told her that in order to receive her prize, she was required to send $500 to cover taxes.

Police caution the public to beware of unusual requests for money.

MEDIA RELEASE

Big Island police are warning the public to exercise caution when arranging vacation rentals or selling items to strangers.

Police received a call from an owner of a vacation rental who reported that he had been contacted by someone who wanted to rent the property. The person posing as a renter sent a check for more than the rental amount and asked that the balance be sent to another address. The property owner contacted the bank and learned that the check was bogus.

The public is advised to be suspicious of anyone who offers to purchase or rent something with a check above the asking price and then asks for a refund of the difference, as this is a common scam.

PHISHING SCAM – CDC Sponsored State Vaccination Program for H1N1

CDC has received reports of fraudulent emails (phishing) referencing a CDC sponsored State Vaccination Program for H1N1. The messages request that users create a personal H1N1 (swine flu) Vaccination Profile on the CDC.gov web site.

An example of the phishing email is below:

Users that click on the embedded link in the email are at risk of having malicious code installed on their system. CDC reminds users to take the following steps to reduce the risk of being a victim of a phishing attack:

• Do not open or respond to unsolicited email messages.
• Do not click links embedded in emails from unknown senders.
• Use caution when entering personal information online.
• Update anti-virus, spyware, firewall, and anti-spam software regularly.

For more info on this phishing scam visit: www.cdc.gov/hoaxes_rumors.html

MEDIA RELEASE

The Hawai’i Police Department is warning the public about a possible telephone scam.

A Puna woman reported receiving a telephone call last week from a man who told her he was representing the Hawaii Tribune-Herald. He said the newspaper was looking for people who wanted to “give back” to the community by making donations. The woman’s caller ID indicated that the call was not from the newspaper. After she began to question the caller, he hung up the phone.

Police have confirmed that the newspaper is not soliciting donations.

The public is cautioned to be aware of fraudulent appeals for donations and advised to contact the named donation recipient to confirm that the person soliciting the funds is actually fund-raising on behalf of the recipient.

MEDIA RELEASE

The Hawai’i Police Department is warning merchants about a scam that may spread from O’ahu to other islands, including the Big Island.

A customer purchases merchandise using what appears to be a valid debit card, credit card or gift card. When the cashier swipes the card, a “bad swipe” error code appears. At this point, the suspect instructs the cashier to call an 800 number printed on the back of the card. The 800 number actually goes to a co-conspirator posing as a bank representative, who provides false or stolen credit card information that allows the transaction to go forward. The merchant later discovers that the transaction was fraudulent.

Police ask merchants to report any suspicious activity involving debit, credit or gift cards.

Members of the public are advised to check their credit card statements and report any unauthorized charges.

MEDIA RELEASE

Big Island police are warning the public to exercise caution when selling items over the Internet.

A 29-year-old Kealakekua woman reported that she was selling furniture on Craigslist. She received an offer from someone claiming to be a disabled woman from the mainland who had to conduct the transaction by e-mail.

The buyer agreed to purchase the furniture for $230. She said she would send a check for $2,452 and asked the seller to deposit the check in the bank, deduct $230 and then send back the balance via Western Union. She said she would send a male friend to Western Union to pick up the check because she couldn’t leave the house.

The seller agreed with the arrangement. After sending a check for the balance through Western Union, she learned that the original check was bogus.

The case is being investigated as a theft.

The public is advised to be suspicious of anyone who offers to purchase an item with a check above the selling price and then asks for a refund of the difference, as this is a common scam.

Hawaii 24/7 has been sent an apparently fraudulent email soliciting funds for Makua Lani Christian School and urges anyone who receives the e-mail to use caution if considering replying to it. A representative from Makua Lani said their email system was hacked and anyone getting the email should ignore it.

MEDIA RELEASE

The Hawai’i Police Department is advising the public to beware of fraudulent requests for donations.

On September 26, two unidentified females approached a Kailua-Kona business owner, asking for and collecting a cash donation supposedly to help Kahakai School with playground improvements. Police have learned that the same two females were continuing to solicit for donations as recently as October 7.

According to Kahakai School administrators, there is no fund-raising campaign going on for playground repairs.

The public is cautioned to be aware of fraudulent appeals for donations and advised to contact the named donation recipient to confirm that the person soliciting the funds is actually fund-raising on behalf of the recipient.

Police ask anyone who was recently solicited for cash donations for Kahakai School’s playground to call the Police Department’s non-emergency line at 935-3311 so that a crime report can be initiated. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 961-8300 in Hilo or 329-8181 in Kona. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.

MEDIA RELEASE

The Hawai’i Police Department and the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney would like to warn the public about an islandwide door-to-door scam directed at senior citizens.

The Police Department’s Community Policing Section is investigating numerous complaints about someone offering a “lifetime” house cleaning service as well as pressure washing, rubbish removal and driveway repairs. The suspect received thousands of dollars for those services and has never fulfilled the agreed upon work.

Police ask that anyone with questions or information about the scam call Officer Frank Mohica at the Community Policing office at 961-8121.

MEDIA RELEASE

The Hawai’i Police Department is warning the public about a mail scam.

A Hilo man received a letter from a Mr. Smith of a company called ABC Financial Solutions Limited from the United Kingdom. The letter states that the company has recovered an unused account and are looking for heirs to transfer the amount of $15.5 million.

The letter asks the recipient to provide an account number. It also instructs the recipient to correspond by fax and to buy a fax machine if he does not have one.

These letters are different variations of the same scam, all designed to attempt to get the recipient to provide a bank account number. Persons who provide account numbers will find the accounts emptied out by the scammer.

Police caution the public not to respond to suspicious letters, especially any requesting personal or financial information. The public should also be aware that a lot of these scams originate from foreign countries, and recovery of stolen funds for victims of these scams is highly unlikely.

MEDIA RELEASE

The Hawai’i Police Department is warning the public to beware of scams that target individuals who post items on Craig’s List.

A 57-year-old Kailua-Kona woman reported that she posted a listing for a vacation rental. Someone posing as an interested renter sent the woman a check for more than the amount of the rental and asked her to deposit the check and then return the difference by Western Union. After the Kona woman complied, the original check was rejected as bogus.

Detectives investigating the case have learned that many other complaints have been received nationwide about similar scams that target persons who use Craig’s List.

Police urge the public to be leery of any requests for money or financial information from unknown persons.