Police have issued a warning about a rise in cryptocurrency scams, with scammers impersonating police officers and cryptocurrency company representatives to steal funds from Kiwis.
Detective Inspector Stuart Mills said police had received a large number of reports in recent weeks, with some victims having lost millions of dollars.
Scammers had been posing as detectives, often claiming a victims personal information or identity documents had been found on a person who had been arrested.
"The fake detective directs their questions towards establishing if and how the victim holds cryptocurrency, before arranging for a fake representative from the cryptocurrency company to contact the victim," Mills said.
"The fake representative then convinces the victim to hand over their passwords or seed phrases, often through a fake webpage resembling a legitimate cryptocurrency application."
Police were now urging anyone who owned cryptocurrency to never share passwords, seed phrases or other sensitive account information with someone they do not know.
“This type of scam is on the rise, and we want the community to be alert," Mills added.
"There are instances where legitimate police officers will contact you as part of their duties, but New Zealand Police will never ask you sensitive financial details."
He said anyone who was unsure whether a caller was genuine should ask for the officer’s details, hang up, call 105 and request that the officer contact them directly.
Police also urged people to trust their instincts, speak with a trusted friend or family member if something seems suspicious, and never share their cryptocurrency seed phrase.
Anyone who believed they had been targeted or fallen victim to a scam was encouraged to report it to police.
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