KAPA‘A — A local chiropractic physician is cautioning residents to be aware of a scam call attempt, which targeted her office recently. If the caller is using a Hawai‘i phone list, then other residents could be targeted. Alice Ogawa, of
KAPA‘A — A local chiropractic physician is cautioning residents to be aware of a scam call attempt, which targeted her office recently. If the caller is using a Hawai‘i phone list, then other residents could be targeted.
Alice Ogawa, of Ogawa Chiropractic in Kapa‘a, said her office received a call from a man who identified himself as a DEA agent named Anthony Williams, and not to be confused with Anthony D. Williams, the special agent in charge of the DEA’s San Francisco Field Division.
“I am just concerned that he could scare an older person and they give him their credit card number,” Ogawa said.
“He has an accent and is probably calling from outside of the country.”
The caller used threatening language and claimed the chiropractor had outstanding drug charges and warrants out for her arrest. His intent was to get Ogawa to pay several hundred dollars to expedite the work to remove a warrant for her arrest and not have her appear in court.
The claims were preposterous and Ogawa said she eventually hung up. She had her secretary search for the caller’s name online.
The name appeared on several listings of complaints posted by citizens, who had received similar scam calls.
“Under no circumstances would a law enforcement officer solicit money from an individual or business,” said Kaua‘i Police Department spokesperson Sarah Blane.
“To be safe, you should never exchange money with a person or company you do not know, and if you suspect a scam, contact police immediately.”
The Federal Trade Commission reports that of the more than 2 million complaints it received in 2012, there were 369,132, or 18 percent, related to identity theft.
The categories that top the list of complaints relate to scams involving debt collection, banks and lenders, shop-at-home and catalog sales, prizes, sweepstakes and lotteries, impostor scams, Internet services, auto-related complaints, telephone and mobile services and credit cards.
The commission enters complaints into the Consumer Sentinel Network, a secure online database that is available to more than 2,000 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies across the country. Agencies use the data to research cases, identify victims and track possible targets.
To file a complaint visit the FTC’s online Complaint Assistant at www.ftc.gov or call 1 (877) 382-4357.
