The public in Hawaiʻi is being alerted to a scam involving the spoofing of phone numbers from the Hilo Courthouse, also known as Hale Kaulike. Scammers are using this tactic to extort money from residents on Hawaiʻi island.
The Hawaiʻi State Judiciary has emphasized that typically, neither courts nor law enforcement will contact individuals by phone or email unless those individuals have initiated contact first with a specific inquiry. Official communications about state court legal matters are generally conducted through the U.S. Postal Service.
State court staff do not request or demand personal information such as names, birth dates, Social Security numbers, credit or debit card details, or other sensitive financial information. Additionally, they do not ask for immediate payment of fines via pre-paid debit cards, gift cards, wire transfers, online payment apps like CashApp and Venmo, or cryptocurrency to avoid arrest and jail time. The judiciary does not request credit card numbers or bank routing numbers nor do they arrange meetings at locations such as courthouses or police stations to make payments. Furthermore, they do not require people to stay on the phone to purchase pre-paid debit or gift cards.
To protect against these scams, individuals are advised to hang up immediately if they receive a suspicious call without responding to any prompts. Emails or texts claiming to be from the Hawaiʻi State Judiciary should be deleted if no prior contact was made by the individual. It is crucial not to click on any links or reply to these messages. Instead of using provided contact details in suspected scams, it is recommended to directly reach out to organizations using official contact information available on their websites.