A Kula woman has pleaded guilty to running a romance scam that stole more than $9 million from victims, mostly older Americans.

• Amanda Joy Opoku-Boachie and co-conspirators, twin brothers from Ghana, built fake online relationships to drain money and gifts like jewelry from victims.
• Victims were spread across 25 states plus Germany and Austria, and most targets were older people, since scammers know that's often where savings have built up.
• A retired FBI agent says fraud like this has grown into a massive criminal industry, with Americans over 60 reporting billions in losses last year.
• Separately, a Hawaii Kai business owner was tricked by scammers using spoofed calls and fake claims of an arrest warrant, showing how fear and AI-generated fake videos or documents are making scams harder to spot.
• No real police or government agency will ever call demanding immediate payment.

Outlook: Opoku-Boachie faces up to 20 years in prison and is set to be sentenced in February, while officials warn AI-driven scams will likely keep getting more convincing.