The Hawaii County Council has approved a partnership with federal authorities that could dramatically boost the Big Island's ability to combat sophisticated financial scams targeting local residents. By an 8-1 vote on Wednesday, the council authorized Mayor Kimo Alameda to join forces with the FBI's Honolulu Division through the Hawaii Financial Crimes Task Force.
The Numbers Behind the Decision
The timing reflects an urgent need, as GovTech reports that online crime cost Hawaii residents $55,180,901 last year. People in Hawaii over the age of 60 filed 647 complaints and lost $18,851,052—an increase from 453 complaints filed by Hawaii residents age 60 and over in 2023. Cryptocurrency investors in Hawaii filed 709 complaints and lost crypto valued at $24,893,821.
According to Honolulu Star-Advertiser, councilwoman Jennifer Kagiwada noted the immediate local impact: "Just last week, the Hawaii Police Department sent out a message warning our community about a 'widespread phone scam' where callers pose as police officials and attempt to get people to pay for nonexisting outstanding warrants."
Local Challenges Meet Federal Resources
Acting Hawaii island Police Chief Reed Mahuna explained why federal partnership matters. "This resolution allows us to be part of the Hawaii financial crimes task force, and what that does is basically open a bunch of resources to the police department that we don't have," Mahuna said, as reported by Honolulu Star-Advertiser. "The FBI has resources that reach nationwide and globally that we can use to combat financial crimes."
Big Island police Captain Rio Amon-Wilkins detailed the investigative challenges local law enforcement faces. Many of these cases are not reported to police immediately, and identifying suspects often requires serving search warrants to financial institutions and online entities like Google, CashApp, and Apple Pay.
A Growing National Problem
The Hawaii partnership comes as financial crimes evolve rapidly nationwide. Federal Trade Commission data shows consumers reported losing more money to scams in 2024, with investment scams leading to $5.6 billion in reported losses. The FTC received fraud reports from 2.6 million people in 2024, with total reported losses jumping to $12.5 billion.
Synthetic identity fraud has emerged as one of the fastest-growing financial crimes, with attempts growing 184% from 2019 and 21% from 2022 to 2023, according to industry data.
Partnership Details and Oversight
Under the agreement, as detailed by Honolulu Star-Advertiser, the Hawaii Police Department will work with the FBI to exchange information and coordinate efforts to protect the community from financial scams, particularly those targeting vulnerable populations such as seniors.
The partnership wasn't without controversy, however. The Council initially voted 9-0 in committee to table Resolution 250-25 before entering an executive session that lasted about an hour. During that session, Councilwoman Rebecca Villegas raised questions about the legality of the resolution, ultimately casting the sole dissenting vote.
Protecting Hawaii's Kupuna
AARP Hawaii state director Keali'i Lopez voiced strong support for protecting seniors from financial exploitation. "Kupuna have worked all their lives to save money for their golden years. Too often, scammers try to steal their money through fraud," Lopez said, according to Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
Council member Jennifer Kagiwada, who introduced the resolution, emphasized the importance of the partnership. "It is important that we do what we can to protect our residents, especially our kupuna, from being the targets of financial scams and crimes, including those where there may be federal interests such as crimes crossing state lines," she said. The resolution complies with state law and requires the Hawaii Police Department to submit an annual resolution for Council review to continue the cooperation.
