Synopsis: Many people have fallen victim to “pig butchering” scams. Here it is referred to as being caught in a spider’s web. The perpetrators have acted with impunity, but that is changing.
‘A‘ohe lua e loa‘a ai ka ‘ino o ka ‘aihue ke ‘aihue ‘o ia ma luna o ka pūnaewele ma o ia mea e kapa ‘ia nei i ka “pig butchering.” ‘Ano ‘ē nō paha ia inoa, no ka mea, ua haku ‘ia paha no ke kuhikuhi wale ‘ana i ka luapo‘i me ka nalo ‘ana o ka mea maoli nāna ka hana ‘ino, ka luna ho‘i o nā ‘aihue. ‘O ka ‘oia‘i‘o, aia ua luna ‘aihue nei ke pe‘e ala ma loko lilo o ka pūnaewele puni honua. He kohu pūnāwelewele paha ia na ka nananana, kahi e kilo mai ai iā waho i kona luapo‘i. He ho‘omeamea ia nananana ē he ipo ‘o ia na ka luapo‘i, a he puni wale aku nō ua luapo‘i nei. Kainō he ipo maoli kēlā nona e pili mau ai. He pilina wale nō ia ma ke kamepiula. ‘A‘ohe wahi hui ‘ana he alo a he alo, a ‘o ka hopena o ia pilina, e pau loa ke kālā a kahi luapo‘i puni wale i ka lilo aku i ua “ipo” hou nei āna. Eia nō ka mea ‘āpiki, na kekahi luna e ho‘ounauna ia “ipo” e komo aku i loko o kēia hana kohu ‘ole, a, e like me ka ‘ino a ka “ipo” e ho‘oili ai ma luna o ka luapo‘i, pēlā nō e ho‘oili ai kahi luna i kāna ‘ino ma luna o ua “ipo” nei. A e ‘apakau ho‘i ‘o ia i nā kālā a pau.
Aloha nō kākou lāhui kanaka. He pono kekahi, he ‘ino kekahi. ‘O ka ‘ino ho‘i, ‘a‘ohe ona luna‘ikehala, a ‘a‘ohe ho‘i ona maka‘u o hopu ‘ia auane‘i a ho‘opa‘i ‘ia i ka hewa. Aia nō ‘o ia ke pe‘e ala i loko o nā ‘āina e nānā ‘ole i ia ‘ano hana a huli wale aku ka nānā ‘ana i kahi ‘ē. ‘A‘ole paha he wā e pau ai kēia hana. Ua pa‘a hana ka nananana. Inā nō e koe ana ho‘okahi kanaka puniwale, inā ho‘i e noke aku ‘o ia ala i kāna hana kohu ‘ole. Ua lohe akula au no ko lākou kūkulu ‘ana i nā hale nunui ma loko o ua mau ‘āina nānā ‘ole nei, a mai laila mai nō ka ‘apakau malū ‘ana i kā ha‘i. ‘A‘ole nō e ‘ike ‘ia, no ka mea, ua lawelawe ‘ia ua hana ‘epa nei ma luna o ka pūnaewele. ‘A‘ohe wahi lemu e peku ai a ‘a‘ohe wahi ‘uhane e ho‘ouna ai i Kehena. He ‘ino nō a lohe mai ke a‘o!
Aia kekahi loio ho‘opi‘i nona ka inoa ‘o Erin West. I ka po‘i ‘ia ‘ana o ke kālā a kekahi kanaka i puni wale i kahi nananana ma luna o ka pūnaewele, me ke kuhi ‘ana ho‘i, he ipo aloha kēlā āna e pili hemo ‘ole ai, ua kōkua maila ua ‘o Erin i ka ho‘iho‘i ‘ia mai o ka hapa nui o kā ia ala kālā. Ua puni ua kanaka nei i ka ‘ōlelo a‘oa‘o a ka nananana no kāna hana e puka ai ma ke kālā. ‘O ka ‘oia‘i‘o, ma ka loa‘a ‘ana o ia kālā, he $300,000 ka heluna, i ka nananana ‘apakau kālā, ua nalo ua nananana nei, a nalo pū me ke kālā! Aloha nō kahi kanaka puni wale. Ua lawe ‘ia aku kāna aloha e ka hope kaiue o ka Maunaloa. Ua pōmaika‘i na‘e ‘o ia i ka ‘eleu o Miki West i ka hahai aku i nā meheu o kāna kālā. Ua loa‘a maila ma mua o ka lilo ‘ana i meheu wale nō, a ua ho‘iho‘i ‘ia mai he 70% o ia heluna nui.
No ka nui o nā luapo‘i, ‘o ka nui o ka hilahila i ka puni wale i ka “ipo,” ‘a‘ohe wahi hō‘ike aku iā ha‘i. He kupanaha o nā kupanaha ka ikaika o ia mea he hilahila. Kohu mea lā, ua ‘oi aku ka waiwai o kona hō‘alo ‘ia ma mua o ka lilo ‘ana o nā kālā a pau i ka nananana. No ke kōkua ‘ana na‘e a Miki West i kēlā kanaka mua, ua ‘ō‘ili mai nō nā kānaka he nui hou a‘e i loa‘a pono i ka hana ‘epa a ka nananana. Mali‘a o loa‘a auane‘i kekahi o ia po‘e luna i nā māka‘i a e ho‘opa‘ahao ‘ia aku nō lākou. Mahalo nui ‘o ia ala, eia na‘e, he mau miliona wale nō kai ho‘iho‘i ‘ia mai a he mau piliona e lilo loa aku nei i kēlā me kēia makahiki!
E ho‘ouna ‘ia mai na ā leka
iā māua, ‘o ia ho‘i ‘o Laiana
Wong a me Kekeha Solis ma
ka pahu leka uila ma lalo
nei:
>> kwong@hawaii.edu
>> rsolis@hawaii.edu
a i ‘ole ia, ma ke kelepona:
>> 808-956-2627 (Laiana)
>> 808-956-2627 (Kekeha)
This column is coordinated by Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.
