Question: Our neighbor leaves his garbage cans on the street. Who can I call to complain about this in the city?
Answer: You may report the infraction to the nearest collection yard, according to the Department of Environmental Services. If you do not know the location of your nearest collection yard, check www.opala.org or call 768-3200.
However, you should first speak to your neighbor about the situation. Some elderly or disabled customers on automated garbage collection routes have permission from the city to permanently store their carts in the public right of way; only those with specific authorization are allowed to do so, according to the department.
If your neighbor does not qualify for that privilege, you could remind him that he must store the garbage receptacles on his own property.
All discards — whether garbage, recyclables, green waste or items destined for bulky pickup — should be put at the curb no earlier than the evening before the scheduled collection date, according to the city.
All refuse containers must be returned to the resident’s property after being emptied.
Scam alert
The Federal Communications Commission is warning consumers, especially seniors, to be alert for a scam that preys on their concern for grandchildren and other family members. In this scam, a con artist claiming to be from the FBI, sheriff’s office or some other law enforcement agency calls or texts to say that a relative of the consumer has been caught texting while driving or committing some other infraction. The caller claims that the consumer can save the loved one from serious punishment by paying with a store gift card, often an Apple iTunes gift card. The consumer is told to provide the card’s access code, which allows the scammer to use the gift card or sell it to a third party. The FCC emphasizes that government agencies and legitimate companies never call consumers to seek payment via gift cards. Anyone targeted by this scam should report the incident to the company linked to the gift card (such as Apple Support at 800-275-2273), local police and the FCC’s online Consumer Help Center, at consumercomplaints.fcc.gov, according to the FCC.
The commission also offers some general tips for avoiding being swindled over the phone:
>> Don’t answer calls from unknown numbers. Let them go to voicemail.
>> If you don’t know whether a caller is legitimate, hang up, independently look up the organization’s publicly listed phone number or legitimate website, and contact them through an official number, web form or email address to see whether they called you.
>> If you answer and the caller (often a recording) asks you to hit a button to stop getting the calls, hang up. Scammers often use this trick to identify — and then target — live respondents.
>> If you receive a scam call, write down the number and file a complaint with the FCC.
>> Ask your phone service provider whether it offers a robocall-blocking service. If not, encourage the provider to start offering it.
Mahalo
A very belated mahalo to someone who was honest. After shopping at Longs in Kaneohe, I inadvertently left my red handbag in the shopping cart.
At the parking lot I noticed that my handbag was missing. I rushed back to the store. A lady in a blue dress was just transporting the basket with my bag in it to the cashier.
Luckily, I was just in time to retrieve my handbag with all my important papers inside.
Thank you very much to the lady in the blue dress. I believe in “what goes around comes around.” So I’m wishing all good things come your way. — Mahalo nui, A.A. of Kaneohe
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
