HONOLULU (KHON2) -- The U.S. Marshals are warning Hawaii residents about a nationwide scam call that is hitting the islands.
According to the Marshals, scammers are pretending to be them or other law enforcement officials and tell victims they have outstanding arrest warrants, court cases or failures to report for jury duty. They then demand money, gift cards or crypto-currency.
In one recent case, a Honolulu resident lost several thousands of dollars to these scammers.
"When you target unsuspecting members of our community, we take that seriously," said Justin Davis, Acting U.S. Marshal. "Scammers that do this are impersonating federal officers can face federal imprisonment, can face federal fines. This is something law enforcement-wide, federal, state, local, take seriously."
The Marshals say they'll never contact anyone by phone, social media, email or mail to demand payment or request sensitive personal information.
If you get a call like this, hang up immediately and call the US marshals office at (808) 541-3000 or report it on their website.