HELCO warns customers of phone scam

Hawaii Electric Light Co. has been informed of scams targeting Hawaii Island customers in the wake of Tropical Storm Iselle. Customers reported receiving telephone calls from someone claiming to be a Hawaii Electric Light claims representative. The customers were asked to provide their Social Security number.

HELCO said it will not contact customers to request personal information or direct customers to submit payments via options other than those listed on the back of the billing statement. The utility reminds customers of the following guidelines:

» Never provide personal, confidential or financial information to an unidentified individual.

» Ask questions or ask for proper identification. Request the individual’s name, company name, and phone number.

» Be cautious when responding to callers from an unidentified phone number. Phone scammers want to remain anonymous. Be aware that today’s technology can be used to mask the caller’s phone number and the caller ID could indicate the call is originating from Hawaii Electric Light, even though it is not.

» Report any suspicious activity to local police.

To obtain a claim form, go to one of HELCO’s customer service locations in Hilo, Waimea or Kona, or go online at www.hawaiielectriclight.com.

Tiki Shark and CafePress settle lawsuit

Hawaii-based Tiki Shark Art Inc. has settled its copyright lawsuit against CafePress but will receive no financial damages. Tiki Shark alleged copyright violations by CafePress of artwork created by Tiki Shark principal Brad Parker in a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Hawaii in October 2013.

CafePress operates websites around the world offering print-on-demand services allowing users to upload designs onto products such as coffee mugs and other consumer goods. The Tiki Shark suit sought various types of financial damages, claiming CafePress reproduced its painting entitled "Forbidden Island" without authorization.

CafePress released a statement Thursday announcing the settlement in which the company will not be required to make any payment to Tiki Shark Art and in which Tiki Shark will dismiss the lawsuit and be prohibited from suing the company again except under certain conditions.

Tiki Shark representatives were not immediately available for comment.

SolarWorld recalls systems for lug issue

SolarWorld is recalling about 1.3 million solar systems in the U.S. and 210,000 in Canada because panels installed with bare-copper grounding lugs can corrode which could result in a faulty ground circuit, posing an electric shock, electrocution or fire hazard.

Some of the systems were sold in Hawaii. The units were sold by SolarWorld installers and distributors, or other distribution companies from June 2011 to June 2014 for about $1,000 to $10,000 depending on the size of the system.

Customers may be able to identify from the ground whether a tin-coated lug (silver) or a bare-copper lug (brown) has been used on their solar panels. Consumers who can identify the improper lugs should contact SolarWorld for replacement. If customers cannot determine which grounding lugs were used, they should contact SolarWorld to have an authorized SolarWorld agent inspect the installation and replace the lugs with tin-coated grounding lugs or equally safe alternative remedy at no cost to consumers. The recall does not require removal of the product.

For more information, call Contact SolarWorld toll-free at 877-360-1787 from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. HST Monday through Friday or go to www.solarworld-usa.com and click on the "Product Safety" tab for more information.

ON THE MOVE

The Aloha Council, Boy Scouts of America presented John C. Dean its Hawaii’s Distinguished Citizen Award last month. Dean is chief executive officer and chairman of Central Pacific Bank and has more than 30 years as an executive in the financial services industry, including serving as CEO to five financial institutions throughout the U.S. This specific honor is awarded annually to a Hawaii resident whose leadership in education, business, government, industry and community endeavors has contributed to the vitality and growth of Hawaii.

Title Guaranty has promoted the following people: 

>> Candice Chun to title operations manager from operations manager of Title Guaranty of Hawaii. She has more than 10 years of experience in operations and was instrumental in the implementation and development of the PONO title system, which is TG’s contribution to the escrow and title business.

 >> Dina Tsuda to vice president of Title Guaranty of Hawaii. She has more than 10 years of experience in administration, human resources and development.