TikTok-Viral 'HNL Swindler' Arrested in Newport Beach, Accused of Taking More Than $130,000 From Two Dental Practices
Irvine police arrested Quan “David” Hoang Vu, 32, on Wednesday afternoon, November 4, in Newport Beach, in California's Orange County, according to a November 6 report by Honolulu Civil Beat. Vu's former girlfriend Dominique Bird had been posting a series of TikTok videos since April accusing him of scamming people; the videos were viewed millions of times, and online users gave him the tongue-in-cheek nickname “HNL Swindler.” Vu was wanted in California on identity theft and theft charges, and he also faced credit card fraud charges in Virginia. He was walking with a woman when officers approached and arrested him. He was then held by the Orange County Sheriff's Office, with an arraignment set for Friday morning, November 6, in Santa Ana.
Bird, 30, lives in Honolulu. She said she became suspicious after Vu repeatedly asked to borrow money and used her credit cards for hotel stays, flights and car rentals. She said Vu would tell women he was a dentist, meet them, charm them and then use their credit cards. She also said Vu left Honolulu in March with her dog Cupcake, a white Pomeranian mix. TikTok users helped identify Vu by name and workplace, and the videos became a gathering place for people in California and Hawaii who said they had similar stories about him.
A week before the arrest, Bird received a direct message saying Vu had been seen at Disneyland's Oogie Boogie Bash in Anaheim, and she passed the tip to Irvine police detectives, who told her they were already looking for him. She later received a tip placing Vu on a street in Newport Beach and forwarded that as well, and she believes the information helped officers pinpoint him. Kyle Oldoerp, a public information officer with the Irvine Police Department, said the department could not confirm that Bird's videos played a role, saying officers already had information about his whereabouts and located him in the area.
The California allegations come from a dental office in Irvine. Vu worked there as an office manager in 2025, and the dentist told police he was not licensed in California. The office manager later found that Vu, who had been given the office checkbook and a stamp with the dentist's signature, had written checks to himself and deposited more than $32,000 into his personal account. An additional $20,000 or more in checks went into an account he controlled, with the memos stating they were employee bonuses. The office manager reported the suspected fraud to police. Irvine police said the department first learned of Vu from a detective in a neighboring jurisdiction who had been investigating him in connection with the Irvine case.
The Hawaii allegations are older. Honolulu dentist Derek Ichimura said he hired Vu as a receptionist and office manager in 2021, after an introduction through a friend of a friend in California. He knew Vu only as David, did not know his last name, had only a cell phone number for him and never checked references. Vu was promoted, and credit cards were left unsecured in the office. A few months later, Ichimura discovered more than $80,000 in unauthorized charges, including more than $30,000 over two months to Vu's personal credit card, plus purchases at luxury retailers, travel and other expenses. Vu left Hawaii shortly after the charges were discovered and went to California. The Honolulu Police Department said in a statement that no charges have been filed in Hawaii against Vu at this time and that it remains an open criminal investigation.
Becker's Dental Review also reported the case on November 9, saying Irvine police accused Vu of posing as a dental office professional and swindling dental offices. In an interview last year, Vu denied the allegations, telling Civil Beat he had been falsely accused and was a victim of misinformation: “I have nothing to hide. I want to clear my name.” In messages earlier this year, he said Bird's claims were not true. He has not responded to multiple requests for comment since his arrest, and he has not been convicted. After the arrest, Bird said she was overjoyed and felt the nightmare was over. As of November 10, no outcome of the November 6 arraignment had been reported publicly.
Source: Honolulu Civil Beat
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：加州橙县 Newport Beach 的 Newport Harbor 航拍资料图（Don Ramey Logan 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons），Vu 正是在 Newport Beach 被捕，画面非逮捕现场。/ Aerial file photo of Newport Harbor in Newport Beach, Orange County, California (by Don Ramey Logan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons); Vu was arrested in Newport Beach, and the photo is not of the arrest.
