Former Hawaiʻi television anchor falls victim to fraud scam
By Angela Cifone
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HONOLULU (KITV) — For more than 26 years, Linda Coble delivered the news to Hawaii audiences, but now she’s telling her story of becoming a victim of an elaborate scam.
“Out of the blue, I got a wonderful message that said that the Publishers Clearing House was proud of me. I won the major sweepstakes, $5,500,000,” said Linda Coble, retired TV anchor and scam victim.
Linda says the scammers claimed to be from the famous sweepstakes and prize giveaway company, and even posed as federal agents.
She received calls, emails, official-looking documents, and constant reassurance.
“Sometimes they’re just so good at what they do that they screw you, and that’s what happened to me,” said Coble.
“They’re friendly, they keep up with me every day, walk me through the steps,” said Coble.
The scammers told her she needed to pay taxes and fees before receiving the money.
Over time, Linda emptied retirement accounts and sent thousands of dollars through checks and money orders.
The scam only unraveled when she brought the supposed winning check to a Bank of Hawaii location, but it was too late.
“Pretty much wiped out everything,” said Coble.
According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, Hawaii consumers reported losing nearly $900,000 to sweepstakes scams last year alone.
“It can happen to anybody. It really can. They just have to catch you at the right moment. You’re distracted,” said Craig Gima, Communications Director at AARP-Hawaii.
Experts say there are signs to look for.
“If they want you to pay the money right away, that’s always a red flag; if they want you to pay in crypto, or they want you to pay in gift cards. No legitimate agency will take money that way,” said Gima.
Linda says even after discovering the fraud, the calls haven’t stopped.
“He’s called, he called today and left a one-minute phone message that I haven’t listened to. I’m afraid,” said. Coble
Now, she hopes others learn from her experience.
“The first thing I should have done was tell somebody,” said Coble.
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