The state Department of the Attorney General is warning residents of scammers who are pretending to be FBI agents and telling potential victims that they owe unpaid fines and will be arrested unless they immediately make a payment in Bitcoin, another type of cryptocurrency or other methods.
The scammers are “spoofing” a state Department of the Attorney General phone number — (808) 586-1282 — in an apparent attempt to make the scam seem more authentic, according to a news release from the department on Thursday.
“Spoofing” makes false information appear on a phone’s caller ID — usually a fake local number or, as in this case, a local government law enforcement agency. The scammers use “scam scripts” to try to steal money or valuable personal information.
“Law enforcement agencies, including the Department of the Attorney General and the FBI, will never — and I repeat, never — call Hawaii residents on the phone demanding them to transmit money, whether in the form of cryptocurrency, an anonymous payment card, a wire transfer, or any other means, in order to avoid imminent arrest,” said Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez. “These people are criminal scammers. Immediately hang up the phone, do not call them back, and under no circumstances reveal personal information or send them money.”
The Department of the Attorney General is coordinating with the FBI to protect Hawaii residents. If you or someone you know has been the victim of these phone scammers, contact the Department of the Attorney General’s Investigations Division at (808) 586-1240.
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