Maui police issue scam alert amid increased spoof calls

The Maui Police Department is alerting the public of a recurring scam involving spoofed phone calls targeting members of our community. “We urge you to remain vigilant and take necessary precautions to protect yourself from falling victim to these fraudulent activities,” police said.

The most recent reported ongoing scam is spoof callers claiming to be a Maui Police Department representative. Spoofing is a technique used to manipulate caller ID information, making it appear as if the call is coming from a legitimate source, such as a government agency, financial institution, or even a known contact, making it highly deceptive.

The caller tells call recipients that there is a warrant, missed jury duty, or some other legal sanction pending against them, then demands immediate payment via cryptocurrency, online payment apps such as CashApp, Venmo, etc., or other means, gift card, credit card, etc.

Police say no law enforcement or government agency will attempt to “clear up” warrants or other legal sanctions over the phone, nor will they ever request financial information to do so over the phone. 

Scammers will often:

• Sound official and use legitimate names of law enforcement personnel.
• Call on the weekends or after hours when most institutions are closed.
• Be forceful and may bargain or barter on the payment amount or payment method if the victim questions it or says they do not have enough or do not know how to use the desired payment method.

Maui police offered the following tips to avoid becoming a victim:

• Do not provide ANY information to the caller.
• Do not contact the email/number being given; instead, contact the organization directly via the official website of said organization.
• If you received a call/message from an individual claiming to be with a federal agency but did not answer/return the call, please report the incident to the FBI at www.ic3.gov.
• If you gave personal information or sent money/gift cards, please report the incident to the FBI and the Maui Police Department at 808-244-6400.