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Cyber criminals target hundreds of Hawaii recipients of nutrition, financial assistance

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1 year ago

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Cyber criminals target hundreds of Hawaii recipients of nutrition, financial assistance


HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Cyber criminals are targeting Hawaii’s most vulnerable residents with an attack on the state’s nutritional and financial assistance programs.

Hundreds of people have had their accounts emptied or hit with fraudulent purchases.

The fraud led to a steady stream of people showing up at the Iwilei benefits center.

Several told Hawaii News Now they either had their card denied when they tried to buy food or, like Erica Tatay, discovered suspicious transactions on their statements.

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“I’m trying not to cry because it’s one of those situations where it’s very frustrating,” Tatay said.

“I feel like I was violated.”

Tatay spotted two big purchases from a mainland retailer she’d never heard of. When she called the state, she learned she and many others were victims.

“So I broke down and because I felt like I couldn’t do my job as a parent to take care of my kids because of something that somebody else did,” she said.

State officials first heard complaints beginning Friday. By midday Monday, they’d identified at least 230 victims statewide, according to the state Department of Human Services.

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Benefits administrator Scott Murashige said government benefit programs are frequent targets.

“This type of activity, we’re seeing it more and more across the country,” Murashige said.

“Phishing and skimming have been around for years, we’ve just been fortunate in Hawaii, we have not had an incident like this until, you know, just now.”

Honolulu police say they’re investigating about a dozen reports.

Retired cyber crime investigator Chris DuQue said it likely started with a local criminal using EBT card readers to steal account information.

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“The skimmer, who captures the card data is in Hawaii,” DuQue said.

“And then once they get the data they go online on the internet and go to dark web and offer it for sale up there.”

DuQue said it’s hard to prevent that kind of theft, but Murashige said EBT users should regularly check statements and change PIN numbers.

“Check to see if there’s any unusual activity. And if you notice anything unusual, just report it to DHS come into one of our processing centers as soon as possible,” he said.

Murashige said the money can be restored for SNAP accounts, which is a federal program.

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But for general financial assistance, that’s not as clear.

What is clear is the harm that’s been done to families.

“Being here in Hawaii, cost of living is expensive. Food is not cheap,” Tatay said. “So it’s hard to have a family to take care of. And this is really a huge setback.”

Copyright 2023 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.



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Hawaii

College football's Hawaii Bowl highlights slowest sports day of 2024

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8 hours ago

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December 24, 2024

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College football's Hawaii Bowl highlights slowest sports day of 2024


Sports fans can breathe easy on Christmas Eve as there will only be one game played on Tuesday before a full buffet of games on Christmas Day.

College football aficionados will be happy to know there is one bowl game on the slate. The Hawaii Bowl between South Florida and San Jose State. The game will start at 8 p.m. ET.

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South Florida Bulls quarterback Israel Carter runs the ball against the Florida Atlantic Owls at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton, Florida, Nov. 1, 2024. (Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images)

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The Bulls finished 6-6 on the season and earned a second straight bowl game under head coach Alex Golesh. They had the same record last season before entering and winning the Boca Raton Bowl over Syracuse, 45-0.

The Spartans finished the season 7-5 overall in Ken Niumatalolo’s first season at the helm. The team is on a three-bowl-game losing streak. They lost the Hawaii Bowl last season and the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in 2022. The Spartans also lost the Arizona Bowl in 2020.

San Jose State hasn’t won a bowl game since the 2015 Cure Bowl under Ron Caragher.

Ken Niumatalolo coaches

San Jose State Spartans head coach Ken Niumatalolo after their win over the Stanford Cardinal at CEFCU Stadium in San Jose, California, Nov. 29, 2024. (Eakin Howard-Imagn Images)

TEXAS FOOTBALL MASCOT BEVO BARRED FROM SIDELINES OF UPCOMING CFP GAME, ORGANIZERS SAY

Sports fans looking for some action should take it all in and be able to get some sleep before opening presents and starting Christmas Day at noon ET with NBA games.

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The NFL also has games on Christmas Day for the second straight year – a two-game menu featuring the Kansas City Chiefs against the Pittsburgh Steelers at 1 p.m. ET and the Houston Texans hosting the Baltimore Ravens at 4:30 p.m. ET.

Patrick Mahomes tackled

Browns defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. and linebacker Devin Bush rush Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland on Dec. 15, 2024. (Ken Blaze-Imagn Images)

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College football will return on Dec. 26 and the NHL will be back on Dec. 27.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.





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Hawaii

Nebraska tops Hawaii 69-55, will play Oregon State in title game of Diamond Head Classic

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17 hours ago

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December 24, 2024

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Nebraska tops Hawaii 69-55, will play Oregon State in title game of Diamond Head Classic


Associated Press

HONOLULU (AP) — Brice Williams matched his career high with 32 points and Juwon Gary scored a season-high 21 to lead Nebraska to a 69-55 victory over Hawaii on Monday night, sending the Cornhuskers to the title game of the Diamond Head Classic.

Nebraska (9-2) will play Oregon State on Christmas Day for the championship of the eight-team tournament. Hawaii (7-4) will play Oakland for third place, also on Wednesday.

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Williams made 10 of 18 shots with four 3-pointers and all eight of his free throws for the Cornhuskers (10-2), who have won three in a row and will play for their first tournament title since the 2018 Hall of Fame Classic. Gary buried 8 of 10 shots with three 3-pointers and both of his foul shots.

Williams had 11 points and Gary scored eight to help Nebraska take a 29-27 lead into halftime. Marcus Greene had nine points to keep Hawaii close.

Williams and Gary combined to score 34 of the Cornhuskers’ 40 points in the second half. The senior duo combined to make 13 of 18 shots while their teammates made 3 of 9.

The Rainbow Warriors scored the first four points of the second half to grab the lead. Williams answered with a layup and a 3-pointer and Nebraska never trailed again.

Greene led Hawaii with 11 points. Kody Williams and Akira Jacobs both scored 10.

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Nebraska has won 34 in a row when holding its opponent to 70 points or less.

Hawaii leads the series 7-3 with all 10 games being played in Honolulu. The two teams had not met since the 2014 event.

____ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-toWp-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball



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Hawaii's Kilauea volcano erupts, spewing columns of lava

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1 day ago

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December 23, 2024

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Hawaii's Kilauea volcano erupts, spewing columns of lava


LOS ANGELES — 

One of the world’s most active volcanoes sprang into life again Monday, spewing columns of lava 80 meters above Hawaii, U.S. vulcanologists said.

Images showed enormous fissures in the caldera of Kilauea, on Hawaii’s Big Island, spraying jets of molten rock into the air.

The U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said the eruption began just after 2 a.m. local time (1200 GMT) in the southwestern section of the caldera.

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“At 4:30 a.m., lava fountains were observed with heights up to 80 meters [262 feet],” the agency said.

“Molten material, including lava bombs, is being ejected from the winds on the caldera floor up onto the west caldera rim.”

The eruption was also sending matter much higher into the atmosphere.

“The plume of volcanic gas and fine volcanic particles is reaching elevations of 6,000-8,000 feet above sea level … and winds are transporting it to the southwest,” the observatory said.

The observatory said sulfur dioxide emanating from the fissure would react with other gases in the atmosphere.

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So-called vog — volcanic smog — can affect people and animals, as well as crops.

Kilauea has been very active since 1983 and erupts relatively regularly, including most recently in September.

It is one of six active volcanoes in the Hawaiian Islands, which include Mauna Loa, the largest volcano in the world, though Kilauea is far more active.



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