Maui storm survivor warns of scams after losing $600

News admin May 15, 2026 0 Comments

Maui storm survivor warns of scams after losing $600

KIHEI (HawaiiNewsNow) – A Maui woman is warning other storm survivors to beware of scams after she was conned out of $600 by a man who promised to help her with flood damage.

“I saw an ad on what’s called Nextdoor,” said Kihei resident Elizabeth Gillette. “Somebody was advertising that they were from New Orleans, and their dad always helped neighbors and anybody that was in trouble after a storm, and I lived in Texas many years ago, so I thought, well, they know what a storm is. So, I texted him.”

The 67-year-old retired nurse said the stranger was helpful the first day, so she gave him $600 to get supplies and finish the work.

She said that’s when he disappeared.

“He’s a con man. He told me everything I wanted to hear. I’m lonely. I needed help, and I believed him,” Gillette said.

Living Pono Project, a nonprofit that provides fresh produce to those in need, said stories like Gillette’s are common.

“There has been some cases where people would come in and do repairs and leave and take the money before it’s done, not doing it right and not drying it out properly, and then just putting dry roll back on, painting over it or painting over the mold and saying it’s good, and then the mold just sits there and you can’t see it, but it’s not a safe environment to raise your kids and bring your family back into,” said Makalea Ane, executive director of Living Pono Project.

Ane said she and her team are working to become trained professionals and are urging storm survivors to only work with trusted organizations.

“We definitely want to make sure that we’re training our local workforce, so the money stays here in Hawaii, that we’re able to provide good, meaningful jobs to our own people,” Ane said.

Gillette said she hopes others will be aware after hearing what happened to her.

“Not everybody that’s a senior citizen like me can stick up for themselves,” she said. “I’m embarrassed. I’m a smart woman. I am a strong woman, and I got sucked into a con.”