MEDIA RELEASE

HONOLULU – Hawaiian Electric Company, Maui Electric Company and Hawaii Electric Light Company want to warn electric customers about an apparent telephone scam. Customers have reported receiving telephone calls saying their electric bill is delinquent and subject to disconnection. These customers were told to make payments at certain retail stores using specific debit card services and then provide the caller with a confirmation number which grants the scammer access to the customer’s funds.

Customers wishing to may pay their electric bills in person may do so at the utilities’ customer service offices. In addition, official walk-in payments may also be made at these locations:

• First Hawaiian Bank
• Foodland
• Kmart
• Sack-N-Save
• Safeway
• Molokai Community FCU (Members only)
• Times Supermarket (Oahu and Maui customers only)
• Wal-Mart

In addition, the Hawaiian Electric Companies would like to remind customers not to provide personal, confidential, or financial information to any unidentified individual and urges customers to be cautious when responding to phone calls. Report any suspicious activity to local police.

Here are some safety tips to keep in mind:

• Be careful when taking calls from an unidentified phone number; phone scammers will want to remain anonymous.
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions; get their name, phone number and company name to deter any leading questions.
• Utility employees would not direct you to make a payment at any other location than their customer service offices and those sites noted above.

If you have any questions or concerns, please call:

Hawaiian Electric Customer Service: 543-7311
MECO Customer Service Department at 871-9777 or toll free at 1-877-871-8461 from Molokai and Lanai
HELCO Customer Service:

• Hilo: 969-6999
• Kona:329-3584
• Waimea: 885-4605