The Department of the Attorney General would like to alert the community of a “spoofing” scam using the Department’s Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center’s main phone number (808) 587-3100.

According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), “spoofing” is when a caller deliberately falsifies the information transmitted to your caller ID display to disguise their identity. Scammers often use neighbor spoofing so it appears that an incoming call is coming from a local number or spoof a number from a company or a government agency that you may already know and trust. If you answer, they use scam scripts to try to steal your money or valuable personal information, which can be used in fraudulent activity.

• If you receive a call from (808) 587-3100, and the caller asks for private information or money, you should promptly hang up.  No law enforcement agency would ever contact you to ask that you send money or provide the information specified in the bullet below.
• Never give out personal information such as account numbers, Social Security numbers, mother’s maiden names, passwords or other identifying information in response to unexpected calls.
• If you get an inquiry from someone claiming to represent a company or a government agency, hang up and call the phone number on your account statement, in the phone book, or on the company’s or government agency’s website to verify the authenticity of the request. You will usually get a written statement in the mail before you get a phone call from a legitimate source, particularly if the caller is asking for a payment.
• Use caution if you are being pressured for information immediately.
• For more information, please visit the FCC website at: https://www.fcc.gov/spoofing