HONOLULU (KHON2) — As the holiday season kicks off, Hawaiian Electric is warning customers about an increase in scams targeting unsuspecting residents.
The utility company said that while scams can take many forms, the most common one involves scammers threatening to disconnect power unless an immediate payment is made.
Darren Pai, a spokesperson for Hawaiian Electric, highlighted a troubling trend that emerged over the summer.
Scammers posed as Hawaiian Electric employees, providing fake work order numbers and claiming that a field technician would be in contact with the customer via an 800 number.
They then demanded immediate payment to avoid disconnection.
“Hawaiian Electric will never call customers to threaten disconnection for non-payment, nor will we send disconnection messages by text or request payment information via email,” Pai said.
The company urges customers to be cautious and report any suspicious calls or messages.