Maui police have been made aware of a scam involving text messages that claim unauthorized charges have been made to the victim’s account.

The messages often include a phone number to call to “resolve” the issue. Maui police say that when someone calls the number, they are told they have been targeted for identity theft and must take action to prevent further loss.

Police said one tactic used involves instructing the victim to withdraw large amounts of money and convert it to cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin, via a digital coin kiosk. Some victims are told to not contact law enforcement.

According to police, no legitimate financial institution or government agency would ever do this.

To prevent scams before they happen, police are advising residents not to engage with the text messages and instead to contact their financial institution.