The Hawai‘i State Judiciary is alerting residents to a new scam where callers spoof the phone numbers of the Hilo courthouse Hale Kaulike to extort money from unsuspecting individuals.
These scammers impersonate officials by altering caller ID information to make it appear as though the call is from a trusted source, like the judiciary.
The judiciary emphasizes that they, along with law enforcement, will never call or email without prior contact from the individual.
Typically, all official communications are conducted via the U.S. Postal Service, not through unsolicited calls or emails.
In these scam calls, individuals may be asked for personal information, such as their Social Security number or credit card details, or pressured to make immediate payments using prepaid debit or gift cards, cryptocurrency, or other methods.
They may also be instructed to meet at various locations or stay on the line while purchasing gift cards. None of these requests are legitimate practices of the Hawaiʻi State Judiciary.
To protect yourself, if you receive such a call, hang up immediately. If you receive a suspicious email or text from an address claiming to be the judiciary without any prior contact, delete it and do not respond, click any links, or provide any information.