The deception ended at the FBI’s Kapolei office, where personnel told Ono Seafood owner Lance Brug he had been targeted by a scam. By then, callers had spent days making him believe he faced arrest over a jury-duty case.
As Hawaii News Now reported, the callers claimed Brug had missed jury duty in a case involving the murder of an FBI agent. They spoofed caller ID to display FBI and used a Zoom call with faceless speakers and fabricated documents to make the false claim appear credible.
Fear, Fake Surveillance and a Daily Check-In
The callers imposed an 8:30 a.m. daily check-in, saying Brug’s location was under surveillance and that he could face criminal charges if he did not answer. They also claimed a gag order barred him from telling anyone, according to the station’s report.
About a week into the calls, Brug researched the claims online and told his wife and daughter. The scammers then demanded money for a bond they said would lift the warrant. Hawaii News Now reported that they guided him through opening a cryptocurrency app, despite his unfamiliarity with crypto.
Sent to the FBI's Own Office While Still on the Phone
The callers directed Brug to the FBI’s Kapolei office while keeping him on the phone. During the drive, they demanded odometer readings and location updates and checked in every five minutes, the station reported.
Near Aiea, the callers demanded more money, claiming the courts had flagged his case and that he had misrepresented his finances. After consulting his financial advisers at home, Brug told the callers he had surrendered and would submit to an investigation. They instructed him to return to the Kapolei office and prepare for arrest; FBI personnel there confirmed he had been scammed.
The Financial and Personal Toll
Brug has not disclosed how much money he sent. He told Hawaii News Now the ordeal left him exhausted, and said he reported the scam to federal authorities and the Honolulu Police Department.
Retired HPD deputy chief John McCarthy advised people to ask questions and tell someone they trust, noting that scammers exploit emotion, according to the station. Brug also warned that feeling afraid during a call can itself be a reason to pause and verify the claims.
A Scam Built on a Mailer Hawaii Residents Actually Received
The scheme drew on a real local reminder: In August 2025, the Hawaiʻi State Judiciary warned residents about jury-duty scams as 330,000 questionnaires went out statewide for potential 2026 service. The Judiciary says official jury-service communications are sent through the U.S. Postal Service unless a person has first contacted it with a specific question. It also warns that scammers may impersonate court officials or law enforcement and falsely claim someone faces a warrant for missing jury duty.
The judiciary also warns that courts and police will never demand immediate payment through cryptocurrency, gift cards, wire transfers or payment apps to avoid arrest or jail. The Honolulu Police Department has separately advised residents to independently verify any such call by dialing the agency's official, publicly listed number rather than relying on contact information the caller provides.
Part of a Fast-Growing National Pattern
Brug's case fits a broader trend federal regulators are tracking closely. Cybernews reports that the FBI has warned scammers are now using real agents' names, spoofed phone numbers and fake office backgrounds during video calls — in one documented case, a fraudster staged a virtual background resembling an FBI office, complete with a desk, an FBI seal and a man in a suit. Between January 2025 and July 2026, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center received nearly 61,000 complaints of law enforcement or government impersonation scams nationwide, with losses totaling more than $1.6 billion, according to Cybernews' review of the data. A separate IC3 public service announcement counted 6,833 complaints involving this specific type of scam over roughly the same period, with losses totaling nearly $36 million.
Hawaii has not been spared from the broader surge in online fraud. The FBI's 2024 Internet Crime Report found state residents lost $55,180,901 to online crime that year, as reported by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser — a sharp jump from the $17.2 million in online-crime losses reported in 2021. Cryptocurrency losses made up a significant share of that total, with 709 complaints from Hawaii crypto investors and losses valued at $24,893,821 in 2024 alone, the newspaper noted, underscoring why scammers so often steer victims like Brug toward crypto apps instead of cash or checks.
Similar schemes have surfaced elsewhere on the mainland. In North Carolina, a Cary woman lost thousands of dollars after a caller impersonating a deputy told her she had missed jury duty and directed her to a cryptocurrency ATM, according to the News & Observer, which also reported that Americans lost nearly $389 million to cryptocurrency ATM scams in 2025 alone. Anyone who has already sent money or personal information to a scammer is advised by the Hawaiʻi State Judiciary to report it to local police and the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, and to call 911 if they believe they are in danger or have been threatened.
