Scammer using spoofed phone numbers from Governor’s Office and Sheriff Division

A recent scam incident prompted the Department of Public Safety Sheriff Division to put out a warning.

In recent days, several people have called the Sheriff Division to report an individual claiming to be a Deputy Sheriff, an employee with the Hawaiʻi District Attorney’s Office and in some cases, a Governor’s Office employee.

The scammer states that there is an outstanding arrest warrant and instructs them to make a payment via gift cards or a money sharing phone app to clear the warrant. The phone number is manipulated so that it appears the call is coming from the Sheriff Division or Governor’s office. In several of the cases, the scammer used the fictitious name ‘Jessica Mendoza.’

The public is reminded that Sheriffs and Governor’s Office do not call, text, or email people asking for personal information or to solicit payment electronically or by phone for arrest warrants. Hawaiʻi residents are also advised not to provide credit card numbers or other personal information to callers claiming to represent a law enforcement agency but are not.

If you receive a call, text or email matching this scam please alert the Sheriff Division by calling 586-1352.

Tips to protect yourself:

• Do not communicate with unsolicited e-mail or phone text senders.
• Do not open e-mails, attachments or links sent by text from unknown individuals.
• Never provide personal information of any sort via e-mail or text. Be aware that many e-mails requesting your personal information appear to be legitimate.