A woman is being sought after a Tongan woman in the United States alleged she was scammed, paying for a kiekie that was never delivered.
‘Iva Fāʻotusia said she paid $300 after seeing the woman advertise on Facebook that she could make traditional kiekie.
She instructed the woman to collect the payment from lawyer Fatai Vaihū’s office in Nuku’alofa, where the transaction was completed.
A photo shared with Kaniva News reportedly shows the woman with $20 notes in front of her, which Fāʻotusia said was taken by Vaihū as evidence of payment.
The woman allegedly promised to complete the kiekie within one week, but failed to deliver.
Fāʻotusia said repeated attempts to follow up were met with excuses before the woman stopped responding altogether.
In a Facebook post by Faʻotusia seeking help to locate the woman, Vaihū also joined the discussion, sharing the photo in the comments as evidence.
The suspect is believed to be behind a Facebook account named “Kiekie Kaka Fakatau Atu”, with a listed contact number of 8440291, though no confirmed identity has been established.
Scams targeting Tongans overseas through advertisements for koloa faka-Tonga and local services are not new.
Kaniva News recently reported a case involving the weaving service Lalanga Taʻovala Aunoa, where a customer—following this outlet’s intervention—eventually received the taʻovala, but not at the agreed quality.
In a separate incident, a Tongan sewing service in Mildura, Australia left a customer frustrated after delivering poorly made garments.
