Hawaiʻi Attorney General urging Lahaina, Kula residents affected by fires to report unsolicited property purchase offers

Hawaiʻi Attorney General Anne Lopez is urging owners of real property in Lahaina and Kula ZIP codes 96761, 96767 and 96790 to make formal reports of any unsolicited offers that were not asked for or requested to purchase an interest in that property.

The Sixth Emergency Proclamation Relating to Wildfires, issued by Hawaiʻi Gov. Josh Green, declares that it is a crime for any person to intentionally, knowingly or recklessly make an unsolicited offer to an owner of real property located in the areas encompassed by U.S. Postal ZIP codes 96761, 96767, and 96790 on the island of Maui to purchase or otherwise acquire any interest in that real property.

A defendant who is charged with this crime can attempt to raise an affirmative defense to the prosecution that the “property owner to whom the offer was made was not impacted by th[e] wildfire emergency.”

Those found guilty of the crime may be imprisoned for up to one year, fined up to $5,000, or both.

“Preying on people who suffered the most from the tragedy on Maui is despicable,” Lopez said in a press release. “The Department of the Attorney General will investigate all such criminal activity and hold perpetrators accountable.”

If you receive an unsolicited and unwanted offer to purchase or acquire real property in one of the three ZIP codes, do not provide the caller with any personal information. You are urged to immediately hang up the phone and call 911 or report the incident via email to the Department of the Attorney General at hawaiiag@hawaii.gov.