Scam alert
An Email From a State Agency Wants a $400 Deposit? Call the Agency
Posted
Hawaii · governor.hawaii.gov · Arrives by an email
The short answer
An email that says it is from a state agency and asks your business for a deposit, or for business details on a form you were not expecting, is the sign to stop. In October 2026, Hawaii's Department of Accounting and General Services said vendors were getting emails from people falsely representing state agencies, some asking for a $400 deposit and an official-looking form. Before you pay, contact the agency on a phone number or website you look up yourself.
What is happening
On October 19, 2026, Hawaii's Department of Accounting and General Services (DAGS), through its Office of Enterprise Technology Services, said the State Procurement Office had received reports from vendors contacted by people falsely representing state agencies, and that some emails asked for a $400 deposit and directed recipients to complete a DAGS/Hawaii State Archives form that appeared to be an official state document. Other emails impersonated the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism and the Department of Budget and Finance, and Hawaii News Now reported the warning on October 21.
How to recognize it
- An email you were not expecting, from what looks like a state agency, asks your business to pay a deposit. In Hawaii, some asked for $400.
- The email sends you a form that looks like an official state document and asks you to fill it in.
- It asks for payment or for personal, financial or business information through a form or link in the email.
- The sender uses agency names, logos or addresses made to look like real government emails. Hawaii says most of its executive branch emails come from hawaii.gov, so look closely at the address.
What to do instead
- Do not pay, open attachments, or fill in a form from an email you were not expecting.
- Contact the agency on a phone number or website you look up yourself, not one in the email, and ask whether the request is real.
- In Hawaii, the State Procurement Office takes questions at 808-586-0554 or [email protected].
- Tell the agency being impersonated and send it a copy of the message.
- If you want to tell someone, the rule is: a payment request from a state agency gets checked with that agency on a number you look up.
If it already happened
Responding to one of these is common and understandable. These steps are what people usually take next.
- These emails are made to look like routine state paperwork, so paying one is easy to do.
- If you paid, call your bank right away and ask whether the payment can be stopped or reversed.
- If you sent business or banking details, tell your bank and watch your accounts for activity you do not recognize.
- Tell the agency that was impersonated, and report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Common questions
- Our business really does work with the state. How do we tell a real request from a fake one?
- Hawaii's State Procurement Office says to contact the agency directly, using a phone number or official website you have checked yourself, before making any payment. Its administrator, Bonnie Kahakui, said businesses can contact the office directly about any unfamiliar request.
- Has the state's email system been broken into?
- Hawaii did not say that. Its chief information security officer, Vince Hoang, said that even when government systems have not been compromised, criminals can use an agency's identity to carry out fraud.
- Is this only happening in Hawaii?
- Hawaii's warning names its own agencies. On October 21, 2026, Connecticut's Secretary of the State warned businesses about a separate email posing as the office's Business Services Division. Another alert on this site covers that one.
Practice this safely
Practice pausing on an unexpected payment request and calling the sender on a number you look up yourself.
Every story is fictional. There is no timer, no score, and no real message, payment, or account.
Tell someone
Copy a short note you can paste into a text or email. It names the scam, the next step, and this page. Nothing is sent from this site.
An Email From a State Agency Wants a $400 Deposit? Call the Agency An email that says it is from a state agency and asks your business for a deposit, or for business details on a form you were not expecting, is the sign to stop. In October 2026, Hawaii's Department of Accounting and General Services said vendors were getting emails from people falsely representing state agencies, some asking for a $400 deposit and an official-looking form. Before you pay, contact the agency on a phone number or website you look up yourself. Read the full alert: https://endscamsproject.com/latest-scams/state-agency-vendor-deposit-email-scam
Where this comes from
These links open the published sources in a new tab. The destination is shown before you open it.
- Office of the Governor, State of Hawaii: State warns vendors of fraudulent emails impersonating government agencies (October 19, 2026) (opens in a new tab)
governor.hawaii.gov
- Hawaii News Now: State warns vendors of fraudulent emails seeking payments, information (October 21, 2026) (opens in a new tab)
hawaiinewsnow.com
- Report fraud to the Federal Trade Commission (opens in a new tab)
ReportFraud.ftc.gov
The full guide on this
More recent alerts
This alert provides general educational information drawn from the sources above. It cannot determine whether a specific message you received is genuine, investigate an incident, or promise recovery or reimbursement.