MPD warns residents to beware of new home repair and roofing telephone scams

The Maui Police Department’s Prison Investigation Division said there have been reports of the latest property mend and roofing scams by telephone.

The cellphone scammers claim your house or roof demands mend. They acquire funds and in no way return. The MPD mentioned licensed contractors or roofers also hardly ever solicit doorway to doorway.

This is just the most recent of scams concentrating on Maui that citizens should be mindful of and keep away from.

Some scams involve persons receiving a phone get in touch with on both their cellular or house mobile phone from an unfamiliar selection. The caller will say that a spouse and children member has been included in an incident, has been/about to be arrested or that you owe revenue and have to have to shell out it straight away. 

In some circumstances, the caller will not detect by themselves or inform you where they are contacting from. The caller may well or may well not give the identify of a relative. They will pretend to be a legislation enforcement officer, a paramedic or the IRS.  They will ask for cash to be despatched. 

How need to you reply?

• Do not give out any individual information and dangle up straight away
• Do not mail cash to everyone or agree to meet up with anyone to hand over dollars
• Pay consideration to the caller ID number and, if you do not realize it, don’t respond to

Keep in mind, a law enforcement officer will supply their title, rank and immediate simply call again details. If in doubt, cling up and merely speak to the company the particular person stated they ended up calling from. A genuine officer will have no challenge with that. 

Typical scam themes:

1. No cost holidays and prizes  
2. Phishing ripoffs (asking access to your personal computer for “repairs”, updates, and many others.)
3. Personal loan ripoffs
4. Phony financial debt collectors
5. Bogus charities.
6. Health care notify ripoffs targeting seniors.
7. Warrants and threats of arrest (Legislation enforcement under no circumstances needs dollars above the telephone or agrees to negotiate a payout in lieu of arrest.)
8. IRS phone calls (The IRS hardly ever phone calls any individual without having first sending a official letter and it hardly ever needs quick payment above the cellphone.)
9. The most new: property restore and roofing ripoffs

Don’t forget the 5 “hooks” that sign a rip-off:

• They make contact with you asking for money.
• They dangle bait in entrance of you, offering a prize or easy bank loan.
• First you have to pay them. It is unlawful for an individual to demand up front revenue for a financial loan or prize/reward of any sort.
• You are asked to wire or airborne revenue as an alternative of mailing it to a confirmed official address.