Page last updated: 16 November 2021

Real life scam stories

Below are real stories of everyday Kiwis who lost money to investment scams – but took positive action by reporting it to the FMA and then sharing their stories so others can see what scams look like.

A $100K swindle – the online friend with a crooked connection

A New Zealand woman was tricked playing online scrabble and ended up losing $100,000 in a bogus cryptocurrency investment.

Celebrity scams: how fraudsters use famous faces

A fake celebrity endorsement ad catches out this NZ woman, but quick thinking saves her from bigger loss.

No rest for the scammed: Recovery room fraudsters prey on past victims

A recovery room scam is a form of ‘advance fee’ scam, where money is requested before funds can be returned. Targets of these scams are those who have already been a victim of a scam.

Financial advice scam - James loses $600 in cold-calling swindle

James shares his scam story to help prevent others being caught out by a cold-calling crook offering financial advice.

Scam case study: Escaping a scammer with a little help from a friend

When Mia asked an old friend for some money to help top up an investment – she heard the harsh news: the whole thing was a scam. Targeted on social media, Mia has now lost $41,000 with little prospect of getting any of it back.

Fraud case study: Close call in Starlink IPO share scam

This fraud case study documents the story of someone we call Sarah (not her real name) to report an odd encounter she had with a company claiming to help her get shares in Starlink – the global satellite-based internet venture founded by Tesla and SpaceX’s Elon Musk.

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Real life scam stories