The Anti-Scam Alliance – Real Change or Another Government Illusion?
Minister Scott Simpson proudly announced it as a “formal structure” to coordinate data sharing, disrupt fraud in real time, and “seal up the cracks scammers are slipping through.”
The New Zealand Government just launched a shiny new “Anti-Scam Alliance,” complete with buzzwords, branded reports, and a press release so polished you’d think scammers were already on the run.
Minister Scott Simpson proudly announced it as a “formal structure” to coordinate data sharing, disrupt fraud in real time, and “seal up the cracks scammers are slipping through.”
Sounds good, right?
Except… I’ve heard it all before.
After five years of exposing scams the regulators missed (or ignored), I’ve learned this: you don’t stop scams with strategy documents and Zoom calls. You stop them with evidence, disruption, and public accountability — the kind we’ve been providing while officials twiddle their thumbs.
Case Study: The FMA vs. LquidPay – A Masterclass in Inaction
Let’s take one example: the LquidPay scam.
The original domain: lquid.finance (taken offline)
The rebrand: lquidpay.finance (still live and actively recruiting)
The FMA’s response? A firm no update needed.
Why? Because in the new website’s Terms of Service, it says “New Zealand is not supported.”
As I told them in writing — and as industry expert Rob Woolley backed up:
“So we’re taking the word of fraudsters based on one line of legal fluff?”
Despite new victims coming forward, Zoom meetings happening on NZ soil, and active recruitment across Telegram and WhatsApp, the FMA stood by their original outdated warning. They even argued that Google results were good enough.
This is what they call real-time disruption?
Let me be blunt: if this is the level of logic driving the new Anti-Scam Alliance, then it’s nothing more than a taxpayer-funded PR stunt.
You don’t fight crime by trusting criminals. And you don’t stop scams by ignoring those of us doing your job better, faster, and louder.
What the Alliance Promises vs. What It Omits
The Anti-Scam Alliance promises a bold, coordinated national effort to tackle scams through what it calls a “people-centred” approach. It pledges to establish voluntary industry codes across banks, telcos, and digital platforms; to launch public awareness campaigns such as “Own Your Online”; and to share scam-related data between sectors to boost collective intelligence. It also touts a new “trusted flagger” system to fast-track scam reports and assist with domain takedowns, and outlines plans for cross-sector disruption tools and international collaboration with law enforcement. In theory, it’s a full-spectrum solution built on cooperation, education, and fast intervention.
But here’s what’s missing: there’s no mention of grassroots investigators already doing the work, no provision for victim redress or compensation, no crypto forensic teams to track money movement, and no formal process to involve whistleblowers or independent journalists. There’s also no plan for tackling offshore-hosted platforms or addressing the critical need for real-time responsiveness. The FMA is involved, as are MBIE, Meta, banks, and telcos. But people like me? Not even an email.
Who’s in the Room — and Who’s Locked Out?
The current roster of the Anti-Scam Alliance reads like a who’s who of government agencies and major corporates. MBIE and the FMA are involved, as are digital giants like Meta and Google NZ. The major banks — ANZ, ASB, Westpac, and Kiwibank — are all present, alongside the Telecommunications Forum and Netsafe (although their term is only three months). These players are given the keys to shape strategy, determine workflows, and represent “the public interest.”
But here’s who’s locked out: independent journalists like myself, scam survivors with firsthand insight, grassroots researchers who’ve tracked these networks for years, and crypto sleuths who understand how money truly moves through these systems. If the goal is to build real-world insight and prevention strategies, why exclude the very people who’ve been sounding the alarm while regulators stood silent?
It raises the question — is this really about stopping scams, or just about being seen to care?
The Private Sector Is Leading by Example
If you want to see what real anti-scam leadership looks like, look across the ditch to Australia. Ken Gamble, the man behind IFW Global, runs one of the most effective private intelligence and investigation firms in the world — and he does it without a cent of government funding. In 2024, he hosted the Global Financial Crime Summit in Brisbane. It attracted over 150 delegates from around the world: United Nations representatives, police from Australia, the Philippines, and Cambodia, academic experts, prosecutors like Erin West, and yes — myself, an independent journalist and YouTuber known as The Crypto Ponzi Scheme Avenger.
That event didn’t just exchange ideas — it created alliances. It gave me connections, purpose, and practical tools that strengthened my ability to expose scams more than any government workshop or strategy document ever has. That two-day summit gave me a much larger network and more strength to fight scammers than I’ve ever had before.
So why can’t New Zealand host something like this? Why isn’t the Anti-Scam Alliance funding grassroots collaboration and intelligence-sharing with those of us already doing the job on the front lines?
SLAPP Suits and the Price of Truth
Let’s talk about what happens when you speak too loudly.
In 2023, I was hit with a $3.85 million Defamation Lawsuit from American cryptocurrency promoter Stephen Andrew McCullah. His aim? To silence me for calling out his scams. A textbook SLAPP suit — strategic litigation against public participation — designed to gag and financially exhaust a journalist exposing fraud.
He sued me in New Zealand’s High Court, claiming I defamed him in a series of YouTube videos. But the court saw right through it. After months of legal wrangling — with help from some clever lawyers and the support of Legal Aid — the judge ruled the lawsuit was brought with no intention of going to trial. It was a gagging writ, plain and simple.
McCullah was ordered to pay $27,500 in costs, though I’ll never recover all the time, stress, or money it took to defend myself. Legal Aid even struggled to send him the bill because they didn’t know where the scammer lived. That’s how absurd this was.
What if the court had required him to deposit funds upfront — to prove he could pay my legal costs if he lost? That one change could protect countless Kiwis from legal bullying by overseas scammers.
If New Zealand’s Anti-Scam Alliance really wants to protect whistleblowers, then anti-SLAPP protections must be part of the strategy.
The Media Is Stronger Than the Government
I stopped reporting scams to regulators because they don’t work with you. They don’t ask for evidence. They don’t even update their own warnings when new domains are flagged.
But you know who listens? The public. The media. The victims.
The best way to fight scammers isn’t through committees and codes. It’s through exposure. Shame. Disruption.
And I should know. I’ve been featured in:
Bloomberg
The New York Times
The Guardian Australia
ABC News
Radio NZ
They come to me because they know I’ll tell the truth that regulators are too slow — or too scared — to admit.
Final Word: My Door Is Open
If the Anti-Scam Alliance is serious, I’m ready to talk.
But if this is just another round of press releases and polished PDFs while scammers rebrand and reload, then you can count me out.
The real fight is already happening. It’s in my inbox. In my videos. In the thousands of scam victims who reach out when regulators won’t.
New Zealand deserves better. Let’s see if this Alliance delivers it.
About the Author
Danny de Hek, also known as The Crypto Ponzi Scheme Avenger, is a New Zealand-based investigative journalist specializing in exposing crypto fraud, Ponzi schemes, and MLM scams. His work has been featured by Bloomberg, The New York Times, The Guardian Australia, ABC News Australia, and other international outlets.
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My work exposing crypto fraud has been featured in:
Bloomberg Documentary (2025): A 20-minute exposé on Ponzi schemes and crypto card fraud
News.com.au (2025): Profiled as one of the leading scam-busters in Australasia
OpIndia (2025): Cited for uncovering Pakistani software houses linked to drug trafficking, visa scams, and global financial fraud
The Press / Stuff.co.nz (2023): Successfully defeated $3.85M gag lawsuit; court ruled it was a vexatious attempt to silence whistleblowing
The Guardian Australia (2023): National warning on crypto MLMs affecting Aussie families
ABC News Australia (2023): Investigation into Blockchain Global and its collapse
The New York Times (2022): A full two-page feature on dismantling HyperVerse and its global network
Radio New Zealand (2022): “The Kiwi YouTuber Taking Down Crypto Scammers From His Christchurch Home”
Otago Daily Times (2022): A profile on my investigative work and the impact of crypto fraud in New Zealand