{"id":188,"date":"2026-05-16T11:34:02","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T11:34:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=188"},"modified":"2026-05-16T11:34:02","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T11:34:02","slug":"i-trusted-them-hawaii-tv-pioneer-linda-coble-shares-scam-nightmare-that-cost-her-60k","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=188","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I trusted them\u2019: Hawaii TV pioneer Linda Coble shares scam nightmare that cost her $60K"},"content":{"rendered":"
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HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Linda Coble is the last person you\u2019d expect to be fooled by scammers.<\/p>\n

Read more Alm: No charges for HPD officers in fatal shooting outside Queen\u2019s Medical Center<\/a><\/p>\n

The 79-year-old made history as Hawaii\u2019s first female TV newscaster in 1971 and built a successful career on sharing news and questioning everything.<\/p>\n

But a recent experience with scammers has left her feeling \u201cstupid\u201d and \u201cashamed\u201d after losing nearly $60,000. <\/p>\n

She\u2019s not alone. Hawaii residents lost nearly $80 million to fraud last year, a 25 percent jump from 2024. The number is likely higher because many victims are too embarrassed to report fraud.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

That\u2019s why Coble is putting aside her shame and opening up about how she was scammed, in hopes other kupuna won\u2019t make the same mistakes she did.<\/p>\n

It began in March, when Coble got a call from a man who identified himself as \u201cMike Diamond\u201d and claimed to be from the U.S. Customs Office acting as an agent of a popular contest. <\/p>\n

\u201cI had won the sweepstakes at Publishers Clearing House, $5.5 million. And before they send me the check, I had all these steps to go through,\u201d she recalled. <\/p>\n

\u201cHow do you think I would feel? Well, I kind of dig it and I kind of believe it. Make A.\u201d <\/p>\n

Over several weeks, \u201cMike\u201d walked her through everything, directing her to send checks and money orders to cover taxes and fees for the cash prize, and to keep everything a secret to not ruin the surprise. <\/p>\n

When asked how the scammer won her trust, she said \u201cconsistency, friendship. He was very friendly on the phone, would call pretty much daily.\u201d <\/p>\n

The scam was so elaborate it also involved multiple calls with a woman who called herself \u201cGail O\u2019Brien\u201d and vouched for Mike\u2019s character.<\/p>\n

Coble also received letters and emails from people claiming to be \u201cMike\u2019s\u201d colleagues from the IRS and the U.S. Marshals Office. Coble says she didn\u2019t feel the need to verify their identities or claims. <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u201cI trusted them. They did a wonderful job of building that kind of familial kind of relationship through all the steps of my spending my money in order to win my prize that would be unveiled at the Bank of Hawaii,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

Read more ALOHA for HAWAII: Hawaii News Now raises more than $500K and counting for Kona low storm recovery<\/a><\/p>\n

The scammers even mailed her what looks like a cashier\u2019s check for $5.5 million to give the illusion it was the real thing. Her bank said it was \u201cphony.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was overwhelmed with kindness, support. encouragement, excitement constantly from the scammers, and I didn\u2019t realize that I had already made such a mistake,\u201d Coble said. \u201cI was embarrassed to tell anybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

Only until she ran out of money and was asked to send another $20,000 to insure her supposed winnings did she finally realize she was being scammed. <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

At that point, she says she had given about $60,000 to the scammers, and they wanted more.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had to take my IRA out of my account and put it in the bank. I had to cancel my Prudential and put all that money in the bank, money I had saved and earned. And now it\u2019s gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI should have called my friends, my family. I should have called the bank,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

Hawaii News Now called the number Coble used in her multiple conversations with \u201cMike Diamond\u201d but there was no answer or voice recording.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Coble says her bank advised her to stop all communication with the scammers. They continue to call her, but she ignores them. <\/p>\n

She says it\u2019s an expensive lesson she hopes others can learn from. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m proud to have the guts to share. It\u2019s important that if I made A, I wanna share it so you don\u2019t,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

FBI and Federal Trade Commission data show Hawaii ranks fifth in the country for per-capita losses to scams. <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

If you are dealing with a scam, contact:<\/p>\n

The AARP Fraud Watch Network provides free tools and support to help people spot and avoid fraud, including:<\/p>\n

Read more Hawaii economists say state\u2019s outlook darkens<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Scammers told Coble she had won $5.5 million in the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes and needed to pay for taxes and insurance fees up front to claim the cash.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":187,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018I trusted them\u2019: Hawaii TV pioneer Linda Coble shares scam nightmare that cost her $60K - Hawaii Moving Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=188\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018I trusted them\u2019: Hawaii TV pioneer Linda Coble shares scam nightmare that cost her $60K - 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