Dept. of the Attorney General warns public of individual impersonating Hawaiʻi state official

The Department of the Attorney General is alerting the public to an individual falsely claiming to be the state’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at national conferences and on online platforms.

The department was recently alerted that Iqbal Khowaja is presenting himself as the “CTO of the State of Hawaiʻi” at the Bitcoin 2026 conference underway in Las Vegas and has made similar claims in prior conference appearances and on social media profiles.

Khowaja is not affiliated with the state of Hawaiʻi and is not authorized to represent any state agency.

Appropriate action is being taken to notify event organizers of the impersonator.

“We were alerted to this individual’s false claims and quickly took steps to verify the information and respond,” said Tom Alipio, chief of the Investigations Division in the Department of the Attorney General. “When someone falsely presents themselves as a government official, it raises serious concerns about fraud and public deception. Our priority is making sure the public is aware, takes appropriate caution and reports suspicious conduct before others are misled.”

“This individual falsely claiming to be the state of Hawai‘i’s Chief Technology Officer has never been employed by the state or affiliated with the Office of Enterprise Technology Services (ETS),” said Hawai‘i Chief Information Officer Christine Sakuda. “Misrepresentation of state leadership is unacceptable and we urge organizers and the public to verify credentials before granting speaking platforms or trust.”

Residents, businesses and event organizers are also urged to:

• Use caution when approached with unsolicited business or investment opportunities tied to purported state affiliations.
• Independently confirm claims through official state websites or direct agency contact before sharing information or entering into agreements.
• Do not provide credit card numbers, bank account information or other personal information to anyone whose identity and affiliation cannot be confirmed through official sources.

Anyone who believes they may have been targeted by this impersonator is encouraged to report the incident to local law enforcement or to the Department of the Attorney General at HawaiiAG@hawaii.gov.