HPD: Beware of Telephone Sweepstakes Scam

Big Island Now stock photo, July 2016.

Hawaiʻi Island police are warning the public about a telephone scam claiming the recipient has won a large sum of money.

The caller claims to be a representative from a well-known publishing company and congratulates the recipient for supposedly winning its sweepstakes.

One such caller claimed a Kaʻū resident’s phone number had been selected in a drawing. The caller then attempts to obtain the recipient’s name, and he or she asks for a “processing fee” to be sent through a money transfer service to an individual in Jamaica.

The public is advised not to provide information or money based on a claim of sweepstakes winnings in contests they never entered.

Furthermore, legitimate companies do not ask winners to pay a “processing fee” to collect a prize.