State officials warn of phone scammers impersonating Hawai‘i law enforcement

The Department of Law Enforcement (DLE) warns the public to beware of callers impersonating law enforcement officers and intimidating people with false information about impending or nonexistent court cases.

These phone scams entail calling a person and claiming the individual is facing arrest for failing to appear for a court hearing or jury duty. According to a press release from DLE, the scammer may mention that payment in the form of bail or a civil fee will resolve the matter.

Law enforcement agencies will not call to solicit any form of payment, the release states. Do not provide credit card or bank account information to anyone who calls saying they are a law enforcement officer.

The scammers may “spoof” real DLE phone numbers to make it appear their call is legitimate when in fact they are calling from another phone number, often outside Hawai‘i. Scammers from outside Hawai‘i often mispronounce street addresses with Hawaiian names or reference government offices not found in Hawai‘i including the District Attorney’s Office.

Anyone who receives a call they believe to be a scam is asked to contact the Department of Law Enforcement at 808-586-1352.