The Tongan government has issued a warning to travellers to the US that visas issued by a group known as the "Kingdom of Hawaii" are not valid, and cannot be used for entry to the United States.
Taime Tonga online quotes the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as saying the money collected by the 'Kingdom of Hawaii' for the issue of these visas may be part of a fraudulent scheme.
Tonga's assistant Police Commander, 'Unga Fa'aoa, says the police have got passports with the stamps of these visas from the "Kingdom of Hawaii."
He says they have received complaints from people who are angry about this visa scam.
The US Embassy in Suva, Fiji has confirmed that visas issued under the 'Kingdom of Hawaii' are not valid.
It also said warned that any individual who attempts to use these fake visas to enter the United States will not be allowed to board an aircraft from Tonga or any other country.
Reports from Tonga say that a staff member at the Immigration Division was victim of the scam and was the one who made a formal complaint to the Police.
