Hawaiʻi Police Department
Kona Community Policing Section
Sergeant Roylen Valera
Phone: 326-4646, Ext. 259
Media Release
Hawaiʻi Island police are warning the public about a tax scam.
A Kailua-Kona resident received a call from someone claiming to be a tax office employee providing the recipient with a new tax identification number. The caller also requested personal information. The recipient did not provide any information and hung up the phone.
A check with the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Taxation confirmed that a May 5 press release announcement stated that new tax identification numbers will be sent out by mail only beginning August 20. For more information, visit the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Taxation website at tax.hawaii.gov.
Police remind the public to be diligent in protecting their personal information and to protect themselves from identity theft by releasing personal information only to trusted sources. When in doubt, check out the source first. Identity theft can lead to years of problems in clearing the victim’s name from obligations incurred from a thief’s use of the victim’s personal information.
