#fraud

Last year, the FBI said Hawai’i consumers reported losing $3.85 million through fraud involving cryptocurrency kioks.

The report identified two key findings: inadequate anti-fraud controls and the absence of a countywide fraud complaint process. The study found $21 million in “direct pay” transactions by the Department of Water Supply that bypass standard procurement. The upcoming 2027 Audit Plan also includes a review of private jet travel provided to county employees.

Saying they were not notified of key updates in the case, a Maui County Council committee passed a resolution that would require all settlement offers in the lawsuit to be sent to the council for review and approval.

The Department of the Attorney General’s Special Investigation and Prosecution Division (SIPD) has charged former City and County of Honolulu employee Dexter Kishida with Theft in the First Degree, Forgery in the Second Degree and Official Misconduct in connection with an alleged scheme that caused the Hawaiʻi Foodbank to expend approximately $800,000 based on false representations that reimbursement funding was available. He was arrested Monday by SIPD on the charges.

The Justice Department announced criminal charges against Leonard Pick, 62, of Palm Beach Shores, Florida, and Brian Kent, 59, of Tampa, Florida, for allegedly orchestrating a bribery and major fraud conspiracy that corrupted the competitive procurement process for a Department of War technology innovation lab in the Pacific.

The department was recently alerted that Iqbal Khowaja is allegedly 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, according to the state.

Federal Trade Commission received 8,665 fraud complaints last year resulting in $79.6 million lost by Hawai‘i consumers compared with $63.7 million lost in 2024 and 8,932 reports.

Free document shredding, a telephone town hall on fraud prevention, and webinars on online safety are being offered during AARP Fraud Prevention Month in April.

Strengthening protections against predatory gambling practices, deceptive mail solicitations, cryptocurrency-related transactions, and ensuring residents’ online privacy are among the measures passed this session by the House Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce.

AARP fraud specialist Doug Shadel will lead a free seminar in Spreckelsville on Feb. 24 to help Maui residents identify and avoid high-tech financial scams involving artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency. The session starts at 11 a.m. at the Kaunoa Senior Center. Shadel plans to explain how scammers use AI to impersonate family members and how […]

Drawing on data from an annual survey of top consumer threats, DCCA’s Commissioner of Securities, Ty Y. Nohara, has identified top consumer frauds and threats to watch out for this holiday season.

Timely topics like holiday budgeting and protecting against fraud will be covered during free financial education webinars sponsored by the Hawaii State Federal Credit Union, available through December. Registration is now available at HawaiiStateFCU.com/events. “As a not-for-profit credit union, we are committed to giving back to the community by making financial guidance accessible to everyone,” said […]

The County of Maui Office of Recovery is encouraging residents to find official information on Hoʻokumu Hou housing programs directly through the County due to potential fraud by third-party entities.

During the holiday hustle and bustle, scammers often target unsuspecting utility customers. Today, on national Utility Scam Awareness Day, Hawaiian Electric warns customers to guard against criminals taking aim at their hard-earned money.

Department officials say the most recent reported ongoing scam is spoof callers claiming to be a Maui Police Department representative. Spoofing is a technique used to manipulate caller ID information, making it appear as if the call is coming from a legitimate source, such as a government agency, financial institution, or even a known contact, making it highly deceptive.

A former Hawaiʻi resident was sentenced to 57 months in prison and three years of supervised release for wire fraud and money laundering related to a scheme to defraud at least 42 Hawaiʻi and California victim-investors out of more than $1.2 million.

Nearly two months since the Maui wildfires, Attorney General Anne Lopez is urging Hawaiʻi residents to remain watchful for suspicious fundraisers.

The Senate Government Operations Committee introduced a short form bill (SB 2930 SD1) that aims to establish two new divisions within the Department of the Attorney General to address fraud, white collar crime, political corruption and sex and human trafficking. The measure would appropriate $834,000 for the operations of the Special Investigation and Prosecution unit and $754,000 to operate the Sex and Human Trafficking unit.

The state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations today announced that it was awarded $1,2115,000 from the US Department of Labor to combat fraud in the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation programs.

The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations is warning consumers about attempts made by criminals to file imposter claims in order to receive unemployment benefits.