Police warn Big Island residents of fake water bill collectors

A pair of men showing up at a Kapaau home and asking for overdue water payments is the kind of scam that can drain a household fast if a resident reaches for cash first. Hawaii Police Department said a 65-year-old Kapaau woman reported that two unknown men identified themselves as Department of Water Supply employees and went door-to-door seeking payment.

Police warned Big Island residents not to pay unexpected collectors in cash and not to hand over personal or account information. Anyone who gets a visit like that should verify the balance directly with the county’s Department of Water Supply or call law enforcement before opening a wallet. The county police non-emergency number is (808) 935-3311.

The scam can sound believable because the Department of Water Supply is a real county agency with a long local footprint. The semi-autonomous department, founded in 1949, operates 23 water systems across the Big Island and is a familiar name for households that receive water bills and service notices. That familiarity is exactly what impostors are trying to exploit.

This is not the first time scammers have borrowed the department’s name on Hawaii Island. Police previously warned in 2017 about callers posing as DWS bill collectors, and Hawaii Police Department has issued multiple scam alerts in recent months involving impostors and spoofed caller ID. The new door-to-door report fits that same pattern: a familiar agency name, a demand for payment, and pressure to act before checking.

Kona Patrol Sergeant Thomas Chun-Ming has been among the officials helping carry the warning to the public. The report so far points to Kapaau in North Kohala, and police did not identify any wider pattern of neighborhoods being targeted in the latest case. Even so, the incident underscores how quickly a fake utility visit can turn into a theft if a resident assumes the badge, shirt, or clipboard is real.

The best defense is simple and immediate: do not pay cash to an unannounced visitor, do not share account numbers or personal details, and make the call yourself to confirm any alleged overdue balance. A real county bill can be checked in minutes. A fake collector can disappear with the money in seconds.