03 October 2025

Investment advice group chats used in suspected pump-and-dump schemes

The FMA warns about investment advice group chats targeting New Zealand investors with ‘pump-and-dump’ schemes. Scammers purchase large volumes of low-value shares in overseas companies. They then persuade investors to purchase low-priced shares in overseas company, artificially inflating the share price. The scammers then sell their holdings at a profit. When the share price collapses, investors are left bearing significant losses. 

After a victim suffers a loss, the scammers often claim, falsely, that the victim is entitled to compensation or reimbursement. The scammers use these claims to harvest personal information and further payments from the victims.

How the scam works

  • Scammers promote investment club group chats through social media. Often, the scammers will publish ads impersonating business leaders or financial commentators to promote the group chats. In some cases, the scammers send unsolicited invitations to the group chats through messaging platforms like WhatsApp. 
  • In the group chats, an ‘investment mentor’ provides trade recommendations to group members. The group chats appear to have dozens of members, but they are populated primarily with bot accounts controlled by the scammers. 
  • The scammers may initially recommend purchasing shares of a large, well-known company such as Nvidia or Tesla. This is a tactic to build trust before drawing potential victims into the pump-and-dump scheme. 
  • Eventually, the scammers will recommend shares in a smaller company. Members are often encouraged to message the investment mentor or their assistant directly, who will guide them through the investing process.
  • Over several weeks or months, the victims’ investments artificially inflate (or ‘pump’) the company’s share price. The scammers then sell (or ‘dump’) their holdings at the inflated price. When the share price collapses, victims are left bearing the loss. 
  • After the share price drops and the victims suffer a loss, the scammers may tell investors they are entitled to compensation or reimbursement. The scammers may ask victims to complete an online form, provide copies of their ID, or pay an application fees in order to gain access to the funds. This is a recovery scam, and is an attempt to harvest victims’ personal information or extract further funds. 

How to recognise and avoid pump-and-dump schemes

  1. Be cautious when interacting with ads for financial services on social media. If an ad features a well-known business leader or financial commentator, they may be an imposter. 

  2. Do not engage with any unsolicited messages regarding financial advice or trade recommendations. 

  3. Before you act on any trade recommendations, check that the person providing the advice is a licensed financial adviser registered on the FSPR

  4. Be sceptical about urgent or time-sensitive trade recommendations, particularly for emerging or low-priced shares. Scammers will often pressure potential victims to act quickly, leveraging investors’ fear of missing out.

What to do if you’ve been scammed

  1. Stop engaging with the scammers. Do not provide any further personal information or payments to them. Report the group chats to WhatsApp and block the scammers on all devices.

  2. If you have shared your bank account or credit/debit card details with the scammers, contact your bank immediately to secure your account.

  3. If you have downloaded remote access software on the instructions of the scammers, immediately contact an IT professional to have your device checked for malware. If you have accessed your bank account or other payment systems while the remote access software was operating on your device, report this to the relevant account providers.

  4. If you have shared any other personal information or downloaded any software at the scammers’ request, contact IDCare for help creating a plan to secure your identity.

  5. If you have followed the scammers’ trade recommendations, contact the trading platform or sharebroker you used to carry out the trades and let them know about the scam.

  6. If you are getting spam emails and text messages, report these to the Department of Internal Affairs here.

  7. Tell a trusted relative or friend what has happened. They may help you see the situation more clearly, help you deal with the scammers, and suggest what to do next.

  8. Contact Victim Support on 0800 842 846 or visit their website. They can provide free emotional and practical support and information.

  9. Report the scam to the FMA.

Scam investment advice group chats:

Group Chat Name

Messaging platform

Phone number(s)

Date added to warning

276The Stock Investment Elite Wealth Group 1

WhatsApp

-

3 October 2025

Investment Navigation Group 1

WhatsApp

-

3 October 2025

Stock Market Tracking group Z1

WhatsApp

+1 (314) 665-7424

3 October 2025

Stock Market Trends 51

WhatsApp

+1 (856) 500-8420

3 October 2025

+1 (504) 657-6110

3 October 2025

Stockmarket navigation group302

WhatsApp

+1 (504) 261-9422

3 October 2025

WhatsApp

+1 (808) 216-7031

3 October 2025

US Stocks Investment Group-672

WhatsApp

-

3 October 2025

Fictional investment advisers:

Investment adviser name

Phone number(s)

Date added to warning

Amy Mills

+1 (681) 427-8556

3 October 2025

David Greene (imposter)

-

3 October 2025

Jane Share Guru

-

3 October 2025

Laura Marcuzzi (imposter)

+44 7563 754111

3 October 2025

Nicole Vera (imposter)

+44 7731 897748

3 October 2025

Scott Horsburgh (imposter)

+1 (217) 862-4364

3 October 2025