The HNL Swindler: Viral TikTok Exposes Alleged Serial Scammer Targeting Dentists

The HNL Swindler: How a Tinder Match Unraveled an Alleged Multi-State Scam

“He came across like a golden retriever.” That is how Dominique Bird describes the man she met on Tinder in May, a polished 32-year-old going by the name David who seemed to know everyone in the upscale Kakaʻako neighborhood of Honolulu. Behind the affable facade, however, lay a web of deception that would soon explode across social media, connecting alleged victims from the luxury towers of Oʻahu to dental practices in Southern California, civilbeat.org reported.

What began as a disagreement over a dog named Cupcake transformed into a viral online outcry. Bird’s TikTok videos detailing her three-month relationship with Quan “David” Hoang Vu galvanized a network of business owners who claim they were systematically defrauded. Today, Vu is classified as a fugitive in California with outstanding arrest warrants, facing severe accusations of theft, identity theft, and embezzlement that span multiple state lines.

For readers wondering why a localized dating fallout matters on a broader scale, the case exposes glaring vulnerabilities in hiring practices across the small-business medical and dental sectors. When polished resume credentials and charismatic interviews bypass rigorous background checks, independent professionals can find their operating accounts gutted overnight.

From Dental Job Candidates to Embezzlement Allegations

Long before he was walking a dog through Kakaʻako luxury condominiums, Vu was making a strong impression on prospective employers through online job boards like Indeed. In March 2025, Dr. Monique Sison-Aweau, a dentist in Irvine, California, advertised for an office manager. Vu applied, interviewed successfully, and even participated in a half-day working interview where he received a $200 check from the practice account. Sison-Aweau extended an employment offer contingent on a standard background check, which Vu signed for but ultimately refused to complete. Shortly after, the practice noticed unauthorized charges totaling $18,000 drained from their checking account. Orange County court records show Vu was subsequently charged with grand theft and identity theft.

A similar playbook allegedly played out in Honolulu. Dr. Kyrell Wright, a dentist with practices in Kaimukī and Kalihi, hired Vu as an office manager in May 2025. According to Wright and his operations manager, Donni Ching, the scam came to light after patients started complaining about receiving invoices showing outstanding balances for procedures they had paid Vu for. Wright estimates that Vu embezzled at least $80,000 from the practice before being fired in October 2025.

Someone like this shouldn’t be allowed to continue preying on our community.

Despite these mounting allegations, Vu has firmly denied any wrongdoing. Reached via text message and phone calls by reporters, Vu dismissed the stories as completely incorrect. He stated that he did not know the dentists accusing him and asserted that an Orange County warrant from 2021 had long been cleared. In a subsequent conversation, he insisted the California court records referred to a different individual decades older who happened to share his exact name—though public court documents confirm his birth year matches the defendant’s.

The Viral Reach of Digital Justice

The sudden exposure of Vu’s alleged activities underscores the growing power of digital self-publishing when traditional institutional channels move too slowly for victims’ liking. Dominique Bird took down her viral TikTok videos earlier in the week after receiving legal threats from Vu, but the digital fallout had already done its work. The posts served as an accidental clearinghouse, connecting disparate victims who previously felt isolated in their financial losses.

Tiktok's Deceptive Tinder Swindler Proposal Goes Viral

Local law enforcement responses have left affected business owners frustrated. Representatives for the Honolulu Police Department noted that they can neither confirm nor deny active investigations on unarrested individuals. As investigators examine subpoenaed bank records and fugitive warrants remain active in California, victims in both Hawaii and the mainland are left waiting to see if formal accountability will catch up to the man known locally as “The HNL Swindler.”