Online crime cost Hawaii residents $55,180,901 last year with kupuna age 60 and over losing more than $18 million, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s 2024 Internet Crime Report.
Hawaii generated 2,603 online fraud complaints last year tied to U.S. dollar losses. Cryptocurrency investors in Hawaii filed 709 complaints and lost crypto valued at $24,893,821.
Kupuna in Hawaii over the age of 60 filed 647 complaints last year and lost $18,851,052. That is an increase from 453 complaints filed by Hawaii residents age 60 and over in 2023. The 453 complaints in 2023 represented $27,965,497 in losses for seniors.
Last year’s losses by Hawaii fraud victims represent a sharp increase from 2021, when local people lost $17.2 million to online crimes.
Acting U.S. Attorney Kenneth M. Sorenson told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that the internet allows tremendous convenience in financial dealings, paying bills, buying goods and services and moving funds.
“At the same time it can provide a dangerous and convenient path directly to and from your bank account for a world full of ultra-sophisticated fraudsters and scammers. These scammers can be remarkably ingenious and compellingly convincing. Whether they contact you about virus protection for your computer, through a romance scam, pretend to be law enforcement officers who threaten to arrest you for your alleged failure to show up for jury duty (and now you must pay a $10,000 bond or be arrested), they have hundreds of ways to convince you to send them your money,” said Sorenson.
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Online fraudsters need victims’ help and consent. Victims who have been scammed nearly always willingly sent or transmitted their money to the scammer.
“A good general rule: don’t send money to someone who cold contacts you by phone, text or computer (including social media) if you have not met in person and known them for at least six months,” said Sorenson. “Criminals often inject urgency and/or authority to instill fear and anxiety so remember that’s a warning flag if someone contacts you. Following this advice will prevent a large percentage of internet-based fraud crimes,” said Sorenson.
Nationwide, federal officials saw a new record for losses reported to FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, totaling a “staggering” $16.6 billion, according to the report.
Fraud represented the bulk of reported losses in 2024, and ransomware was again the most pervasive threat to critical infrastructure, with complaints rising 9% from 2023.
Senior citizens over the age of 60 suffered the most losses and submitted the most complaints.
Phishing/spoofing attacks were the most prevalent forms of online fraud last year with 193,407 complaints logged nationwide by the FBI.
Those were followed by 86,415 extortion complaints, 64,882 personal data breaches, 49,572 complaints about nonpayment/ nondelivery and 47,919 fake investment scams.
Phishing and spoofing happen through the use of unsolicited email, text messages, and telephone calls purportedly from a legitimate company requesting personal, financial, and/or login credentials.
Online extortion complaints are the “unlawful extraction of money or property through intimidation or undue exercise of authority.”
The threats may include physical harm, criminal prosecution, or public exposure.
Sorenson cautioned never to invest money with entities or persons “you do not know, period.”
Investors should be aware of “affinity fraud,” where scammers will use the names or identities of people or entities their victims are familiar with to bolster their credibility.
“If you want to invest, look to licensed and trusted financial advisors that you select, not some random person that contacts you over the internet or by phone,” said Sorenson. “The old adage, ‘if it sounds too good to be true, it is’ rings true here.”
David Porter, FBI Honolulu’s Special Agent in Charge, told the Star-Advertiser that investment fraud, specifically cryptocurrency fraud, continues to “grow as criminals prey on our elderly community and drain them of their life savings.”
“FBI Honolulu continues to educate our community to recognize the red flags of an investment fraud scheme and take steps to avoid being victimized,” Porter said. “If you or someone you know is a victim of an investment fraud, report it even if you aren’t sure. Every detail, no matter how small, helps us to disrupt these schemes, seize stolen funds, and bring these criminals to justice.”
In April 2024, the Hawaii State Judiciary put out a warning about scammers posing as police officers, sheriffs and judiciary employees calling people claiming arrest warrants have been issued for missing jury duty.
Judiciary officials cautioned that if you get that phone call regarding a “warrant for failure to appear for jury duty, hang up without responding to any questions or pressing any numbers you may be asked to press.”
The would-be scammers are also using email, judiciary officials said.
B. Chad Yarbrough, operations director for criminal and cyber at the FBI, said in a statement that last year marked “a new record for losses reported to IC3” with fraud representing the bulk of reported losses and ransomware “was again the most pervasive threat to critical infrastructure, with complaints rising 9% from 2023.”
The rising losses are “even more concerning” because last year the FBI took “significant actions” to deter online crime. FBI agents “dealt a serious blow” to LockBit, one of the world’s most active ransomware groups.
Since 2022, we have offered up thousands of decryption keys to victims of ransomware, avoiding over $800 million in payments,” said Yarbrough. Operation Level Up disbanded fraud and laundering syndicates, shut down scam call centers, shuttered illicit marketplaces, dissolved nefarious “botnets,” and put “hundreds of other actors behind bars.”
“While the top threats facing our country have certainly shifted over the decades, protecting American citizens — whether that means your safety, your money, or your data — remains a cornerstone of the FBI’s mission,” said Yarbrough. “Without the information you report to us through IC3 or your local FBI Field Office, we simply cannot piece together the puzzle of this ever-shifting threat landscape. If ever you suspect you’re a victim of cyber-enabled crime, do not hesitate to let us know. We want to be there for you, and what you report will help us help others.”
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Online fraud
If you believe you are a victim of online fraud, the FBI urges you to:
>> Immediately contact your bank or financial institution.
>> Report the incident to law enforcement.
>> File a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3.gov.
>> If kupuna don’t have access to the internet, call the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 833–FRAUD–11 (833–372-8311), which is available for assistance with filing a report.