01/09/2025

Hawaii Police Department warns of phone scam

Spectrum Local News

The Hawaii Police Department warned the public of a phone scam after receiving reports of people impersonating police officers when calling Hawaii Island residents. 

Police said scammers are calling victims and identifying themselves as law enforcement officers, according to a news release. In one instance, a scammer posed as a police sergeant and left a message for a victim saying they were calling from the Hawaii Police Department regarding an ongoing legal matter. In another instance, a scammer asked potential victims to buy Apple cards in order to resolve the legal matter. 

Hawaii Police Department officials said officers will never ask for payment of any kind over the phone.

This is not the first time the Hawaii Police Department has warned about phone scams involving the impersonation of officers. In November, the police department sent out a similar warning, saying scammers were impersonating officers and telling people to avoid an outstanding warrant for their arrest that they must use Coinstar kiosk machines to transfer money.