Scammers are not taking a holiday break in Hawaiʻi. State consumer watchdogs say a fresh wave of AI-powered investment cons is rolling through the islands during the busy shopping season, from romance-driven "pig butchering" schemes to deepfake impersonations and fake trading "bots." The state's Business Registration Division reports that criminals are leaning hard on social media and cloned websites to pose as trusted brands and even friends. Officials say the scams move fast, look polished and are zeroing in on both older residents and younger people glued to short-form video feeds.
The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs’ Business Registration Division urged Hawaiʻi residents to treat any surprise investment pitch with serious skepticism, according to DCCA. “The rapid growth of technology and the rise of artificial intelligence gives scam artists new tools to steal your money,” Commissioner Ty Y. Nohara said in the release. The department pointed to national enforcement figures to show just how big the problem has become.
What Is On The Watchlist
Regulators pulled their warning list from the latest annual threat rundown by the North American Securities Administrators Association, which spotlights a dozen investor hazards. On the list: affinity and "pig butchering" schemes, deepfake impersonations, phantom AI trading bots, spoofed websites and apps, and slick pitches pushed through social media feeds. According to NASAA, state securities regulators opened more than 8,800 active investigations in 2024 and reported over $259 million in fines and restitution. The same report notes that roughly 22.2% of bad actors used deepfakes and nearly 32% of investigations started on social platforms, a combo that makes those flashy short-form video ads anything but harmless entertainment.
Local Hits: Kupuna And Crypto Kiosks
Hawaiʻi communities are already feeling the sting. Recent reporting tallied hundreds of local complaints and millions in losses tied to crypto-style scams that often zero in on kupuna, according to $7M Vanishes. Nationally, regulators logged more than 1,600 cases involving older victims in 2024, a trend that was highlighted in the holiday alert. Community groups and lawmakers have called out cash-to-crypto kiosks and impersonation schemes as especially risky, since they can turn hard-earned cash into hard-to-recover cryptocurrency in just a few minutes.
How To Protect Yourself And Report It
Officials say the basics still matter. Slow down if someone is pushing you to act “right now,” never send money through gift cards or wire transfers for an investment, and double-check identities using official phone numbers, not whatever pops up in a text or DM. You can confirm whether an investment seller is licensed through the DCCA Business Registration Division and file a complaint through the securities enforcement portal or by calling the Business Registration Division at (808) 586-2744. Statewide fraud reporting is also available by calling 58-SCAMS or 1-877-HI-SCAMS. Families are urged to talk with older relatives about common warning signs and to save screenshots, messages and transaction records, which can be crucial for investigators.
What Enforcement Looks Like
State regulators are not just issuing warnings, they are opening cases. NASAA’s numbers show hundreds of enforcement actions and dozens of criminal referrals tied to investment fraud, and in 2024 regulators launched 944 investigations into unregistered solicitors. Depending on what they uncover, those cases can lead to civil penalties, restitution and criminal charges, according to NASAA. Victims who hang on to emails, texts, social media posts and transaction details give law enforcement the best shot at recovering funds or shutting down repeat offenders.
With holiday spending in full swing and investment pitches multiplying online, officials say the strongest defense is a healthy dose of doubt, careful verification and quick reporting. Keep an eye on loved ones, and send anything that feels suspicious to state authorities so investigators can connect the dots before the next scammer cashes out.
