American Savings Bank

Overseas Scams

Beware of “Overpayments” and Wiring Money Out of the Country.

American Savings Bank, CrimeStoppers Honolulu and the United States Secret Service would like to remind the public of a scam that has been in place for the past several years. Reports have been received about different individuals, possibly working as a group, contacting local residents and businesses via e-mail, letters and eBay.

In some instances, local merchants are directed to send large amounts of local products, such as sandals and Hawaiian quilts, to Nigeria. The buyer sends a cashier’s check for more than the sale amount and tells the merchant to forward the products and a check for the difference. Shortly after, the merchant is notified that the cashier’s check was fraudulent, resulting in the merchant losing both the merchandise and the money.

Another example of this scam hit at least two different O‘ahu residents. Each sent money overseas (to Indonesia and to Italy) to purchase Harley Davidson motorcycles. Neither party has received the product they were promised, and it is almost impossible to recover money sent out of the country.

If you receive a letter, fax or e-mail that sounds similar to situations described above, please contact the Honolulu office of the U.S. Secret Service at 541-1912 or the Honolulu CrimeStoppers hotline at 955-8300 (*Crime on cellular phones). REFUSE TO BECOME A VICTIM!