NED Alerting Public of Recent Phone Scam

The Public Safety Narcotics Enforcement Division (NED) is alerting the public of a recent phone scam. It has been reported that scammers, using the NED main office telephone number, are trying to fool physician offices into thinking they are in trouble with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) by telling them to pay money to get charges cleared otherwise they face arrest.

This is similar to other recent phone scams where the call comes in from what appears to be a local government number. The number is usually spoofed, or cloned, to fool people into thinking it is a legitimate caller. The Division wants to remind people just because the call shows a local phone number, does not make it legitimate, and the best course of action is to not answer numbers you don’t recognize. The Narcotics Enforcement Division will never ask for personal information or solicit payment over the phone. They will never say they are representing another agency. Hawai‘i residents are also advised not to provide credit card numbers or other personal information to callers claiming to represent a law enforcement agency or the courts.

If you receive a call matching this scam, alert the Sheriff Division by calling (808) 586-1352.