HONOLULU — A recent sheriff-impersonator scam incident has prompted the state Department of Public Safety Sheriff Division to put out a warning.
On Monday, an individual called the Sheriff Division to report that he was contacted via text by someone claiming to be a “Sergeant Anderson” with the Sheriff Division Internet Crimes Task Force. The impersonator stated that the man would be arrested for inappropriate internet use unless he paid an undisclosed amount of money. The public is reminded that sheriffs do not call, text or email people asking for personal information or to solicit payment electronically or by phone.
Residents are also advised not to provide credit-card numbers or other personal information to callers claiming to represent a law-enforcement agency.
If you receive a call matching this scam please alert the Sheriff Division by calling 586-1352.
The online extortion attempt comes as an e-mail from an unknown party and, many times, will be written in broken English with grammatical errors.
The recipient’s personal information is noted in the e-mail or letter to add a higher degree of intimidation to the scam. For example, the recipient’s user name or password is provided at the beginning of the e-mail or letter. The e-mail or letter includes a statement like, “I had a serious spyware and adware infect your computer,” or “I have a recorded video of you” as an explanation of how the information was allegedly gathered. The e-mail or letter threatens to send a video or other compromising information to family, friends, coworkers, or social-network contacts if a ransom is not paid.
Source: The Garden Island
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