Big Island police warn of telephone scam

Hawaii Island police are warning the public about a telephone scam from a caller claiming to be from Publisher’s Clearing House.

A 65-year-old Hilo man was told that he had won a car and millions of dollars and that all he needed to do to claim his prize was to purchase $1,000 in CVS gift cards and provide the card numbers from the back of the cards, according to Hawaii Police Department.

The recipient refused to follow those instructions and instead reported the scam to police. The public should not to give money or personal information to anyone who calls claiming the recipient has won a prize, the police said.