The Board of Water Supply is reminding its customers to be wary of potential scams involving fraudulent phone calls or visits from people claiming to represent the water agency, stating the account is overdue, and demanding immediate payment.

“The most recent scam involved a Board of Water Supply customer who received a phone call. The person on the phone was very aggressive, very demanding, stating that the person had an overdue account and if they did not pay immediately then their water service would be shut off, so of course the person was very concerned. They were very worried about not just their water service but worried that they owed a substantial amount of money,” said Keoni Mattos, BWS information specialist.

“Thankfully, a family member was there, was able to assist them, ended up hanging up the phone immediately and reporting it to the Board of Water Supply, and of course, when we did follow up, we found out it was not a legitimate Board of Water Supply employee,” he added.

If you receive unexpected and/or aggressive phone calls from individuals demanding water bill payment under immediate threat of disconnection of water service, ask for the individual’s name and phone number, and say you will call them back. Do not provide them with any information about your account. Then call the BWS at 748-5030 to confirm your account status.

The BWS does not call customers outside its regular business hours, Monday-Friday, 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. regarding payment, nor does the BWS attempt to make contact a customer, demand payment, and collect payment all in the same phone call.

When the BWS contacts a customer regarding overdue payment, he or she will be asked to call the BWS at 748-5030 to make a credit card or debit card payment.

If you are approached by someone saying he/she is from the BWS, it is acceptable to ask for official identification. All personnel involved in official BWS activities will be properly credentialed — wearing official BWS attire with the BWS logo, driving BWS labeled vehicles, and carrying an official City and County of Honolulu badge, with the agency identified as the BWS.

BWS said that they don’t conduct leak detection on customer properties or inside residences. They also don’t schedule appointments outside regular business hours of 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday.

If you want to confirm the validity of an individual claiming to be a BWS employee, you can call BWS at 748-5000. BWS also says you can call the Honolulu Police Department at 9-1-1 if you are suspicious of an individual’s credentials.

Customers may also call the BWS at 748-5041 to file an additional report.

Official BWS Attire

Consumers should be aware of what attire BWS employees wear while in the field.

Official BWS Vehicles

Consumers also should be aware of what BWS-labeled vehicles, which include sedans, SUVs, utility trucks, and construction equipment, look like. Here are sample photos. Please note the BWS label, logo and the vehicle’s license plate (BWS XXX).

NOTE: BWS is in the process of phasing out its white vehicles and moving to green vehicles only.