Hawaii

It’s the most wonderful time of the year for thieves, too. Here’s how to protect yourself

Published

12 months ago

November 24, 2023

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year for thieves, too. Here’s how to protect yourself

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – It’s the season of giving — and for criminals, the season of taking.

The Better Business Bureau says thieves are especially active this time of year.

They’re also getting more savvy — as evidenced by one recent scam attempt.

Several weeks ago, Kailua resident Malia Zimmerman received a voice message from a person named Amanda Davis. The caller said she was working on a community project for Kalaheo High School’s Athletic Department.

“It was from somebody with an accent from the mainland [who] couldn’t even say Kalaheo High School properly,” said Zimmerman. “It wasn’t your normal scam of what you’d expect.”

Zimmerman said she gets these calls at least three times a year.

She got another call from a person named Carlos who had a different phone number but was requesting monetary donations for the same school. She forwarded the voicemails to Kalaheo Principal James Rippard.

He emailed Zimmerman and and said they’re not fundraising or soliciting via phone call or any other means of communication, who advised her to block the phone numbers.

“It was sad that … we’re wanting to support charities, we want to support and schools and teams and you know, it’s unfortunate that people have to be so careful, but you really do,” said Zimmerman.

And being careful means doing your research.

Retired HPD Deputy Chief John McCarthy said people should “verify everything.”

“Don’t be too anxious to give or feel that you’re obligated to respond when that person calls,” he said.

Roseann Freitas, of the Better Business Bureau, said many ads will pop up on social media or be sent directly to you. So as you check things off your Christmas list, make sure you’re aware of who you’re shopping with.

“Be really careful about clicking on any links that you might have, just go directly to that company’s website via your browser and see what they have there,” said Freitas. “Because we all know that those links can redirect us to fake websites, and they can download malware onto your systems.”

Whether you’re buying gifts or donating, you can verify the company on BBB.org.

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Hawaii

Navy wife found guilty in baby’s death in Hawaii military housing

Published

36 mins ago

November 18, 2024

Press Room

Navy wife found guilty in baby’s death in Hawaii military housing

A jury in Hawaii has found a Navy wife guilty of manslaughter in connection with the overdose death of a 7-month-old baby in military housing, according to local news reports.

Dixie Denise Villa is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 26, according to a report from Hawaii News Now. Abigail Lobisch was found dead Feb. 24, 2019, in Villa’s house at Aliamanu Military Reservation in Hawaii, where Villa was babysitting her.

An overdose of antihistamine was determined to be the cause of Abigail Lobisch’s death, according to court documents.

The trial, which began Nov. 4, was held in Hawaii’s civilian court system.

In September 2019, in the wake of the baby’s death, the Defense Department’s personnel chief called for officials to investigate reports of unauthorized daycare operations on installations. James Stewart, then-acting under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, said officials should take appropriate steps to shut down these unauthorized operations.

Karen has covered military families, quality of life and consumer issues for Military Times for more than 30 years, and is co-author of a chapter on media coverage of military families in the book “A Battle Plan for Supporting Military Families.” She previously worked for newspapers in Guam, Norfolk, Jacksonville, Fla., and Athens, Ga.

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Hawaii

High winds lead to busy weekend for Ocean Safety

Published

8 hours ago

November 18, 2024

Press Room

High winds lead to busy weekend for Ocean Safety

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Honolulu Ocean Safety says high winds kept rescue crews busy on the water Saturday, officials said.

Ocean Safety said around 1 p.m. Saturday, two paddle boarders had to be rescued in Waikiki after strong winds pushed them out to sea.

Lifeguards rescued both and brought them to shore unhurt.

Then, just before 3 p.m., two people were kite foiling off Waimea Bay when winds pushed them about three miles offshore.

A woman was rescued via jet ski, and a man could return to land on his own.

No reports of any injuries.

Ocean Safety reminds beach-goers to check the latest weather conditions before going into the ocean.

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Hawaii

Honolulu 911 system restored for mobile carriers

Published

16 hours ago

November 17, 2024

Press Room

Honolulu 911 system restored for mobile carriers

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Honolulu’s 911 system has been fully restored on Oahu.

According to alerts from the city, 911 service was restored as of 3 p.m. Sunday.

The system went down for some mobile carriers, including AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile, and anyone needing emergency service would have to use a landline.

No cause has been given yet for the outages.

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