The state Office of Consumer Protection issued a warning Tuesday of a new telephone scam in which consumers receive calls from potential scammers impersonating the Chinese Consulate.
Consumers around the country, including those in Hawaii, have reported receiving calls or messages in Mandarin Chinese demanding payment in exchange for a package or requesting information to prevent punishment from the consulate office. The caller then asks for bank or credit card information and instructs the consumers to transfer money to them.
The Federal Trade Commission said the scammers appear to be calling from outside the U.S. and targeting ethnically Chinese people, including recent immigrants. The numbers appearing on the consumer’s caller ID might appear to be coming from a real Chinese Consulate number. Scammers are spoofing, or manipulating the caller ID to masquerade as representatives of the consulate.
Consumers who receive a call or message like this should hang up or delete it and immediately contact the Office of Consumer Protection or the Federal Trade Commission.
Ala Wai flood cleanup fills 18 dumpsters
Maintenance and harbor workers from the Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR) finished a four-day-long cleanup Tuesday of the Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor.
DOBOR had hoped to retain a private contractor to clean up debris that washed down the Ala Wai Canal and into the state’s largest small-boat harbor during and after the major rainstorm more than two weeks ago. Bids from contractors were either too high or lacked the proper paperwork, so after two rounds of bidding, the division decided to do the work itself.
Beginning on Thursday, 10 workers spent approximately 180 hours removing debris from the harbor. Much of it was cut wood or plastics. They focused their efforts on the front-row area and near the floating docks.
Guitar maker Gibson files for bankruptcy
NASHVILLE, Tenn. >> The maker of the Gibson guitar, omnipresent for decades on the American music stage, is filing for bankruptcy protection after wrestling for years with debt.
A pre-negotiated reorganization plan filed Tuesday will allow Gibson Brands Inc. to continue operations with $135 million in financing from lenders.
Gibson guitars have been esteemed by generations of guitar legends.
ON THE MOVE
DoubleTree by Hilton Alana Waikiki Beach has named Angela Gosling its new director of catering and events. She was previously an account and program manager for Kathy Clarke Hawaii, a destination management company. Prior to that, Gosling served as a director of catering and convention services for The Kahala Hotel & Resort as well as held senior event manager and conference center manager positions at Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort for nearly 10 years.
Central Pacific Bank has announced that Lori Bettencourt has been appointed vice president and director of its Customer Service Center. Bettencourt has more than 20 years of customer service experience in the financial and hospitality industries, including having served as a director of Call Center at American Savings Bank.
Hawaii State Teachers Association (HSTA) members have elected the following new NEA director and alternate director:
>> Cliff Fukuda has been re-elected director of the National Education Association (NEA), beginning Sept. 1. Fukuda is an Aiea High School coach and social studies teacher.
>> Jamie Stidger will serve as the alternate director for NEA. Stidger is a Castle High School English teacher.
