It looks like there’s another Hawaiian sovereignty scam that is dangling “too good to be true” offers before potential victims. And unfortunately there are still people gullible or trusting enough to buy in before realizing they’ve been conned.

I was contacted this week by a woman who grew up on Maui but is now living on the mainland. She passed along some details about a relative who has been trying to scam other family members spread across the globe, from France to Hawaii, the Philippines, and Singapore. The scam is a variant of one that’s been around for years. What isn’t clear yet is whether her aunt is acting on her own, or whether she is linked to the “Privy Council” and “lawyers” for a larger sovereignty group, as the scammer has claimed in emails to her potential victims.

Frauds like this are called “affinity scams.” The pitch is made by someone who is an “insider” and, hence, considered a trusted member of the group or organization, a church, religious denomination, neighborhood group, political or professional group, or as in this case, an extended family. (See “The Allure and Danger of Affinity Fraud,” or “Affinity Fraud: How to Avoid Investment Scams That Target Group“).

This pitch goes something like this.

The Hawaiian Kingdom is now pressing a lawsuit that could lead to independence, and at the same time is in negotiations with the UN toward the same end, according to the scammer. And the as-yet-unrecognized Hawaiian Kingdom happens to have a well-endowed treasury, with funds due to be distributed to registered Hawaiian nationals soon after the kingdom’s sovereignty is recognized.

And there’s big money in the treasury, more than needed to reward people now in Hawaii. So, the scammers say, relatives living outside of Hawaii can now register as part of the Hawaiian Kingdom and become part of the group that will get a payout when the treasury funds are dispersed.

All it requires is a “sponsor,” and a payment somewhere between $2,500 and $5,000 as “a processing fee for Hawaiian Kingdom registration.”

According to one email from the scammer:

They limited the number of people to register to open bank in Hawaii, recently they added only 350 people to register. After they open bank, they will start notifying other people who live in Hawaii who qualify. We are blessed because we are first. We will be a part of history who claimed the Hawaiian Kingdom. The people who are working on it are all here in Hawaii. Hawaiian Kingdom. International attorneys, AIIB board of directors, counselors. Sorry for not sharing a lot of other information but everyone who registered so far are very excited. Just hang in there. It will happen. we’ve waited over three years but it’s worth the wait.

When potential “investors” have balked, additional benefits are dangled as a lure.

At least one relative in this case was told that if they registered, they would not only be eligible for the eventual distribution of the treasury funds, but would also qualify for Hawaiian Kingdom visas that would admit the family to Hawaii without going through the U.S. immigration system.

And when that still wasn’t enough, the con artist said there would also be a job waiting when the family got to Hawaii, where they would now be eligible for free health care offered through the World Health Organization.

“My question is do you have the money to pay and do you want to come here so that your life is not hard up and you can give your kids their future,” the scammer asked. “You just need to trust me.”

Trust me. Really?

One family sent their $5,000 payment, and so far have received nothing.

But the scammers have an explanation. This is usually the case. It’s the stage of the classic confidence scam referred to as “cooling the mark out.”

In this case, the “delay” in producing the promised benefits is blamed on President Trump who, they claim, is holding up the process to squeeze money out of the Kingdom.

I wasn’t able to communicate in the past about what we are waiting for because they might hack this and they will get the information. Trump is really desperate with the Hawaiian treasury even the other leaders of other nations like Russia, he wants America to control the treasury. Even if he knows, it will not work because the trust says the beneficiary is nationals of Hawaii. Because the money is so big other nations are also interested now….I cannot explain here but hopefully by Christmas they will fund you. Please pray for it.

In documents she provided, her aunt said the matter is being handled by the Hawaiian Kingdom Privy Council, but refused to provide any information about the claimed Kingdom lawsuit or the visa offer, and said she had referred the questions to unnamed “Hawaiian Kingdom lawyers.”

Complaints have been made to several Hawaii regulatory agencies, so far without notable success.

See:

“From the alleged sovereignty mortgage scam to the Hawaiian Kingdom visa scam,” iLind.net, June 11, 2011

“Frivolous Claim Over Sovereignty Snags Homeowner,” Civil Beat, April 10, 2013

“On scams and the sovereignty narrative,” iLind.net, October 11, 2013.

“Maui Resident Sentenced for Fraud and Tax Charges Related to Debt Elimination Scheme,” FBI.gov, December 3, 2014.

“Two sovereignty advocates hit with allegations of mortgage rescue fraud,” iLind.net, May 11, 2019

“Lawyer known for “sovereignty defenses” barred from future foreclosure assistance,” iLind.net, June 21, 2020.