New Zealand · Evidence
Reporting an investment scam to the FMA: what to include
Prepare a clear FMA investment scam report with payment records, platform details, messages, and an honest account of losses. Understand the FMA’s role in NZ.
Published 4 October 2026 · Updated 4 October 2026 · AI-assisted educational content from Crypto Claim Advisors
The short answer
Give the FMA a short account of the investment offer, your actual loss, the people and websites involved, and supporting records. Include contact details for follow-up.
Explain the offer before the transactions
An investigator needs to understand why money moved. Begin with where the offer appeared: a social media ad, an unsolicited call, a message from an online acquaintance, or a website. Then describe the promised product and the claimed returns. Name the platform and include the exact domain rather than just a trading brand.
Separate what you personally observed from what the promoter told you. For example, write that a dashboard displayed a profit, not that you earned that amount. If a contact claimed to be licensed, quote the claim and attach the document without presenting it as verified.
Make payments easy to follow
List each payment with its date, currency, amount, payment provider, and recipient reference. If you bought crypto at a genuine exchange and then sent it elsewhere, describe those as separate steps. An NZD bank debit, an exchange purchase, and a blockchain transfer can be parts of one loss, not three losses.
Attach messages asking for further taxes, insurance, or withdrawal fees. These can explain why an apparent investment became a suspected scam. Keep complete messages where possible so the sequence is not lost.
Know what happens next
The FMA’s reporting guidance asks for a brief overview and supporting material such as screenshots, emails, brochures, and links. It may contact you for more information. Its ability to act can be limited where scammers are overseas, and it explicitly says it cannot recover funds. A clear report supports its work without creating a promise of an individual payout.
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
- Write a one-page summary.
- Include exact domains and contact handles.
- Separate deposits, withdrawals, and claimed profits.
- Attach original supporting records.
- Provide a safe contact method and retain a copy.
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.
- New Zealand Police — 105 reporting
Supports: Non-emergency fraud reporting and the distinction from emergency assistance.
Common questions
Can I report an offer if I never paid?+
Yes. The FMA invites reports from people who suspect they have been targeted by an investment or financial scam.
Does an FMA report replace a police report?+
No. Investment regulation and criminal reporting serve different purposes. Report suspected fraud through the appropriate Police channel too.
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.
