New Zealand · Evidence
A crypto scam evidence checklist for New Zealand victims
Build a practical evidence folder for a New Zealand crypto scam report: transaction records, chats, domains, dates, and withdrawal demands, without exposing secrets.
Published 4 October 2026 · Updated 4 October 2026 · AI-assisted educational content from Crypto Claim Advisors
The short answer
Save original payment records, messages, exact domains, and transaction identifiers. Build a dated summary and exclude seed phrases, passwords, and private keys.
Capture the payment trail
Start with records from services you genuinely used, not only the suspected platform. Download bank and exchange receipts where available. For each crypto transfer, record the asset, network, amount, destination address, transaction identifier, and date. An internal exchange order number may not be a blockchain transaction hash.
Keep fiat purchase costs separate from crypto quantities. If one NZD payment bought assets that were later transferred, explain the connection rather than adding both values as independent losses. Mark conversions as estimates and record when they were calculated.
Preserve the story around the transfer
Save the advertisement, original contact, promised returns, instructions, and requests for withdrawal fees. Export complete chats if the app permits it. Screenshots are helpful, but include dates, account handles, and surrounding messages where possible. Record exact website addresses, since similar domains may identify different sites.
Retain original files unchanged and make working copies for annotation. A simple folder structure—payments, messages, websites, reports—usually helps more than a long unorganised screenshot collection. Do not reopen a suspicious app or connect a wallet solely to obtain better evidence.
Share evidence carefully
The FMA asks for supporting information such as emails, screenshots, brochures, PDFs, and links. Send material through the organisation’s genuine reporting channel. Redact unrelated personal details from copies shared with advisers or the public, while keeping originals securely for authorities. Never put wallet secrets into an evidence pack; public addresses and transaction identifiers are different from secret recovery credentials.
Where to act in New Zealand
Contact the bank, exchange, or payment service you used through its genuine app or independently verified website. For suspected fraud, use New Zealand Police’s 105 non-emergency service. Report investment-related scams to the Financial Markets Authority (FMA). These are separate actions: do not wait for a regulator response before contacting your payment provider. The FMA states that it cannot recover your funds.
Checklist
- Save bank and exchange receipts.
- Record asset, network, amount, and transaction identifier.
- Export messages and preserve withdrawal demands.
- Write a chronological summary.
- Keep originals secure and remove secrets from shared copies.
Official sources
Linked for reference. They are not endorsements and we do not control their content.
- FMA — Report a scam
Supports: Immediate actions, information to supply, and the FMA’s limits on recovering funds.
- NZ Police — Crypto wallet impersonation warning
Supports: Spoofed police contacts, seed phrase requests, and independent verification through 105.
- New Zealand Police — 105 reporting
Supports: Non-emergency fraud reporting and the distinction from emergency assistance.
Common questions
Do I need a paid tracing report first?+
No. You can make a first report with the records you have. Authorities or your provider can tell you what additional material they need.
Can I include a wallet address?+
A public address can be useful evidence, but it can expose transaction history. Share it only with an appropriate verified recipient; never share the private key or seed phrase.
Who wrote this. Published by Crypto Claim Advisors as AI-assisted educational content compiled from the official sources above. No named qualified human reviewer is claimed. Illustrations are AI-generated.
Education, not advice. This is not legal, financial or tax advice and recovery is never guaranteed. Crypto Claim Advisors has a commercial interest in claim reviews. Read the editorial policy.
