Statewide jewelry scams on the rise, victim speaks out to warn others

HONOLULU (KHON2) — Statewide reports indicate a rise in jewelry scams, with individuals posing as tourists offering their jewelry at discounted rates.

One male victim, who asked to remain anonymous, has reached out to KHON2 Action Line to share his experience and alert others to these deceptive schemes.

“I guess he was waving at everybody, but me was the first I seen him,” he said. “I put on the side like a local guy, you know, I was going to help somebody,”

The male victim said that he saw the man on the side of the road in Pearl City.

“He needed money for his rent with a car and for his hotel. I guess his hotel bill or whatever it is,” he said.

Believing the man’s story, the victim paid $70 for what appeared to be a gold chain.

“I didn’t know I was getting scammed, but as soon as I got that chain and I went pick up my wife from dialysis, I told her, ‘Let’s go to the pawnshop try to see if we can appraise it.’ But she came out and said, no — this thing worth nothing.” he said.

According to Maui Police Department, this is typical of how these scams work.

“What they’ll do is tell these individuals that they’re either from Dubai or Saudi Arabia,” Captain Nelson Hamilton of MPD said. “And while they’ve been in Hawaii, they were either robbed or victims of some kind of theft where everything was stolen, and they need money to get back home,”

They sell fake jewelry, such as rings or gold chains, falsely valued at thousands of dollars. Reports of these scams have surfaced across all islands.

“They usually work in groups of eight to 10,” Hamilton said. “And it’s a split of half women half men, and a lot of times they’ll have children with them as well,”

MPD has arrested two suspects involved in these schemes, who now face felony theft charges.

“If someone’s trying to sell you something in the parking lot, it’s probably too good to be true …” Hamilton said.

If you have a consumer concern or an issue with a business, call Action Line at (808) 591-0222 from Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., or email actionline@khon2.com.