MEDIA RELEASE

Hawaiʻi Island police are warning the public about a scam involving email messages claiming to be from financial institutions.

The email says it is an alert from a named bank and claims that the recipient’s account has experienced suspicious online activity. It instructs the recipient to click on a link to verify the account. Once the link is clicked, the recipient is asked to provide personal information that, if provided, would make the recipient an easy target of identity theft.

Police have seen variations of these official-looking email messages claiming to be from different banks. Detectives have determined that the emails originated from a foreign country.

Police urge the public not to respond to these bogus bank emails. Legitimate banks do not ask for personal information over the phone or through the internet.

When in doubt, contact your financial institution directly.