MEDIA RELEASE

Hawaiʻi Island police are again warning the public about a telephone utility scam. Individuals posing as employees of local utility companies and tax officials are calling and threatening to either have the persons utilities turned off for non-payment, or threatening an immediate arrest for non-payment of taxes.

Police caution the public not to respond to requests for payment that come by telephone or the internet. If you think a notification from a utility company may be legitimate, confirm it by calling the published phone number in the phone book and not through any phone number you receive over the phone or internet. These businesses do not utilize services such as Western Union, Money Gram, or Money Pack to collect payments.

Representatives from local utility companies have commented that if anyone receives a call requesting payment for a utility bill to call the utility company first to confirm.

Anyone with information about any persons making phone scams is asked to call the Police Department’s non-emergency line at 935-3311.

Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call the island-wide Crime Stoppers number at 961-8300 and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. Crime Stoppers is a volunteer program run by ordinary citizens who want to keep their community safe. Crime Stoppers doesn’t record calls or subscribe to caller ID. Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.