‘Power of fear’: Poke shop owner falls victim to FBI scam

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The owner of a longtime poke business is recovering from a sophisticated scam that literally brought him to his knees, and he is sharing about the trap so others can avoid it.

Read more HIFF’s New American Perspectives celebrates immigrant voices through film

A little more than a week ago, Ono Seafood owner Lance Brug was closing up his food truck in Hawaii Kai when he received a strange phone call.

“I receive this phone call with two gentlemen, initially one guy representing himself as an FBI agent,” Brug said.

The men claimed there was a warrant for Brug’s arrest for missing jury duty in a case involving the murder of an FBI agent.

More calls followed.

“All of this stuff came across very official, very legit. They have FBI come up on their caller ID, I don’t understand that,” Brug said.

Unfamiliar with spoofing, Brug was pressured into a Zoom call with faceless speakers who presented him with fabricated documents.

The scammers convinced him to answer their calls at 8:30 every morning to avoid criminal charges.

“They were telling me that my location was being surveilled,” Brug added.

The callers also told Brug there was a gag order, claiming if he told anyone about the case, he would face more severe consequences.

But after about a week, Brug finally did some online research and decided to tell his wife and daughter.

Then, his phone rang for his daily check-in.

“Scary part to me is, right away they engaged me that I had been doing research,” Brug said.

The callers told him he had to send them money for a bond to lift his warrant.

“They helped me open up a coin-based app because I know nothing of crypto,” Brug said.

Read more Rainbow Wahine sweep UNLV Rebels after hard-fought rallies

They then sent him to the FBI’s Kapolei office, while staying on the call.

“I had to give them odometer readings, I had to tell them my location, they were driving me in with these guys in my ears, doing 5-minute road checks,” Brug said.

When he reached Aiea, the callers demanded more money.

“Telling me, ‘your case has been flagged by the courts.’ You misrepresented your finances, we understand you have an IRA with other money,’” Brug added.

Brug then returned home, called his financial advisors and hit a breaking point. He told the men he surrendered and would submit to a criminal investigation.

The scammers then had Brug to drive back to the Kapolei FBI office, giving him detailed instructions to prepare for his arrest in the parking garage.

“I assume a position on my knees with my head on my head, ready to just go in the lion’s den,” Brug shared.

FBI personnel then came out and confirmed he had been scammed.

“It shows you how deep into his mind and his thoughts and his emotions that these guys got to,” said Retired HPD Deputy Chief John McCarthy. “There’s no law that says you can’t ask questions, you can’t tell somebody you trust… I think that’s really important because what you think might be true and what they’re doing is playing on your emotions.”

Brug is not saying how much money he gave the scammers, but said the stress left him drained, thin and exhausted, and he hopes others do not make the same mistake.

“The power of fear melted my thinking capacity… sleep deprivation, starvation, isolation… these are the components now that people need to be aware of, if you’re ever on the phone with somebody who makes you feel afraid… that’s a flag, ok,” Brug advised.

Brug filed a report with both federal authorities and the Honolulu Police Department.

Read more First Alert Forecast: Flood Watch posted for all islands, heavy rain expected today through tomorrow

Click here for advice from the FBI on how to avoid scams.