Investment scam websites increasing
Published Sources: NCSC NZ
What is affected, what to do
Investment scam websites increasing Investment scams are increasing, with large numbers of scam sites, and this advisory is to ensure you understand the tactics being used by the scammers and what to do if you have been scammed. The scam websites might have been recommended to you from your search engine, from ads on social media, or even from someone you met online.
The available sources name no fixed version. Check the vendor guidance in the references below.
Not sure whether and how you are affected? Ask a question about this vulnerability
Metrics
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Priority
No value is available for this vulnerability.
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CVSS v3
No value is available for this vulnerability.
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EPSS score
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- Severity
- Not rated
Priority (0–325)
The priority score is a consolidated metric that condenses several individual signals into a single, action-guiding ranking: technical severity (CVSS), exploitation likelihood (EPSS), known-exploited status (KEV) and the context of the affected asset. The aim is to answer the only truly important question in vulnerability management: what first?
Read in glossary- 3.24 Methodology
Exploit maturity
An exploit is code or a technique that specifically uses a concrete vulnerability to force unintended behaviour — such as executing code or escalating privileges. It is the tool that turns a theoretical flaw into a practical attack.
Read in glossary- no public PoC known
KEV status
The KEV catalogue is a list maintained by the US authority CISA of vulnerabilities for which active exploitation in the wild has been confirmed. It answers not the question „how severe?“ but „is it already being attacked?“ — thereby sharply prioritising patching.
Read in glossary- —
- Published
Classification under NIS2 and CRA
Rule-based classification from exploitation status and severity. It does not replace a case-by-case assessment.
NIS2
NIS2 is EU Directive (EU) 2022/2555 to raise the level of cybersecurity across the Union. It substantially broadens obligations compared with the first NIS directive: more sectors, mandatory risk management, staged reporting duties and personal accountability of senior management.
Read in glossary- Handle the vulnerability in regular vulnerability handling under Art. 21(2)(e) NIS2.
CRA
The CRA is EU Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 setting horizontal cybersecurity requirements for „products with digital elements“ — from industrial controllers and software to connected consumer devices. For the first time manufacturers must ensure security across the entire product lifecycle, handle vulnerabilities and provide security updates.
Read in glossary- From 11.12.2027, Annex I Part II CRA requires manufacturers of affected products with digital elements to handle vulnerabilities without delay and provide security updates.
ISO/IEC 27001
ISO/IEC 27001 is the internationally leading standard for an information security management system (ISMS). It describes a risk-based, process-oriented framework to systematically plan, implement, review and improve information security.
Read in glossary- Control A.8.8, management of technical vulnerabilities: assess relevance to your systems, plan remediation and keep evidence.
Description
Investment scam websites increasing Investment scams are increasing, with large numbers of scam sites, and this advisory is to ensure you understand the tactics being used by the scammers and what to do if you have been scammed. The scam websites might have been recommended to you from your search engine, from ads on social media, or even from someone you met online. What to look for How to tell if you're at risk If you have taken investment advice or clicked on an ad for investing that has not come from a bank or other officially registered financial institution, you could be at risk. This includes investment opportunities from people you only know from online. How to tell if you're affected It isn't always easy to determine if you have fallen for these scams, but if you have invested money recently with a company that is not a well-known institution, or into a cryptocurrency scheme then you should assume you are at risk. You can check the Financial Markets Authority page for recent warnings and alerts to see if the site you have invested in, or are considering investing in, has been warned about. Warnings and alerts | Financial Markets Authority (fma.govt.nz) If you have been affected, immediately contact your bank using their official phone number or website. Remember that just looking legitimate is not enough, as the scammers are very sophisticated. The fake sites sometimes have sections for you to check your investments and may even require a login before showing your balance. Unfortunately, you might not realise that you have been affected by this scam until you try to withdraw your money, or the site is no longer available. What to do Prevention Doing due diligence on an investment site is important. You can check if the business is registered and do a google search for the website and 'scam' to see what comes up. The Financial Markets Authority has a lot more helpful information on investing responsibly. Consumer | Financial Markets Authority (fma.govt.nz) The Financial Markets Authority can help you find an advisor. How do I find an adviser? | Financial Markets Authority (fma.govt.nz) The Financial Markets Authority also has recent (and historic) warnings and alerts you can check before investing. Warnings and alerts | Financial Markets Authority (fma.govt.nz) More information If you believe you may have been caught up in one of these scams, contact your bank immediately using their official phone number or website. Reporting the sites to CERT NZ can help us work to get them taken down. We can also pass the report to relevant agencies, such as Police and FMA to ensure a wider response. If you require more information or further support, submit a report on our website or contact us on 0800 114 115. Report an incident You can also report these directly to the FMA (Financial Markets Authority) to help them provide up to date alerts and warnings which in turn helps other New Zealanders. Report an issue to the FMA For media enquiries, email our media desk at media@ncsc.govt.nz