Public comment sought on OHA salaries
The 2016 Office of Hawaiian Affairs Salary Commission is seeking public comment on appropriate salaries for the OHA Board of Trustees over the next four years. A draft copy of the commission’s recommendations is available at oha.org/osc2016. The public is invited to submit comments to ohasalarycommission2016@oha.org by noon Monday.
After reviewing public comments, the commission will finalize and submit their recommendations to the Legislature on Feb. 22.
Elks scholarships available
The California – Hawaii Elks Major Project offers high school seniors $2,000 for one-year to a four-year college or $1,000 for community colleges or vocational schools. Selection criteria include severity of disability, financial need, grade point average, seriousness of purpose and depth of character. Applications must be completed and postmarked on or before March 15 and are available at www.chea-elks.org.
Info: Joe Reynolds, Kona Elks Scholarship Chair, 334-0077.
VFW schedule announced
The VFW, located behind Kona Locksmith off Kaiwi Street, will host several event this week.
The annual VFW post picnic will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday at Old Airport Park. The post will provide hot dogs and hamburgers for members of the VFW, VFW Auxiliary and veterans. Attendees should bring a side for all to share.
Pizza with salad and dessert will be served from 5 to 7 p.m. Feb. 19 for $5.
The VFW Auxiliary will meet at 10:30 a.m. Feb. 20.Info: Don Zero, 509-879-1040.
State warns of scammers
Attorney General Doug Chin and Executive Director of the Office of Consumer Protection Stephen Levins are warning the public about two recent attempts by scammers to obtain personal data from Hawaii residents by posing as representatives of state government.
In one scam the Hawaii Public Housing Authority received multiple complaints from people trying to apply online for Section 8 housing vouchers. In so doing applicants found themselves on a website that asked for credit card and social security number information. The government imposter site mentions the Hawaii Public Housing Authority and seems to perform a credit check. The suspected website is not affiliated with the housing authority’s.
In another scam people reported receiving emails that claim to include a “membership certificate” and “official letter” from the Director of the Department of Budget and Finance. This email asks the recipient to raise funds in order to allow them to “gain rights to certain benefit.”
There are several ways to spot possible government imposter scams. Among other things these scam emails typically involve messages that are poorly written, are sent from .com email addresses rather than .gov email addresses, say you have won a lottery or sweepstakes, say you owe a fake debt, or ask you to wire money right away, often to a foreign country.