Dear New Zealand Police,

I am a New Zealand citizen and journalist (Chief Editor,
Cryptocurrency NZ) seeking information under the Official Information
Act 1982 on how NZ Police respond to fraud reports involving Bitcoin or
cryptocurrency (often classified under offences such as "obtains by
deception" per Crimes Act s240), amid reports of rising online and
investment scams.

Please provide the following:

1. Aggregated statistics on reported fraud offences where
cryptocurrency or Bitcoin was involved (e.g., as the payment method,
targeted asset, or scam mechanism).

2. If not tracked separately due to offence-based coding, please
provide any proxy data, internal estimates, or relevant excerpts from
analyses for the period 2020 to present.

3. Details of the decision-making framework for progressing fraud reports to investigation, including:

a. Any internal guidelines, priority matrices, scoring tools (such as
the Initial File Assessment (IFA) or equivalents), or criteria used to
triage reports, particularly for online, investment, or cyber-enabled
scams.

b. Factors typically considered in assessing "lines of enquiry" or
evidence viability (e.g., loss amount, victim vulnerability/impact,
offender identifiability, solvability factors, or international
elements).

c. Whether any fixed thresholds (e.g., in NZD losses) exist for
initiating further action, or if decisions remain fully case-by-case and
evidence-based.

d. Internal procedures for initial assessment, allocation to units
(e.g., Financial Crime Group), and reasons why some reports may not
progress beyond recording (e.g., for lower-value or offshore-linked
cases).

4. Information on coordination with overseas authorities for fraud
cases involving cryptocurrency affecting NZ residents, including:

a. Typical processes or triggers for engaging international partners
(e.g., Interpol, FBI, or Five Eyes networks) in large-scale or
cross-border matters, such as when a scammer is identified/exposed and
has caused financial losses to NZ individuals or the economy.

b. The minimum threshold (if any exists) for a NZ Police request for
assistance from Interpol, FBI, or Five Eyes partners in such cases.

c. Aggregated data on the number of such referrals, joint operations,
or arrests involving the Financial Crime Group in recent years (e.g.,
2020–2026), without compromising operational details.

5. Any internal assessments, reports, or guidance noting whether
crypto-related fraud presents unique investigative challenges (e.g.,
speed of transfers, blockchain traceability, offshore actors) compared
to traditional fraud methods, or any differences in perception/handling
by staff (redacted as necessary for sensitivities).

If the requested information is held in documents (e.g., policy
chapters, triage matrices, aggregated reports, or excerpts from the
Police Policy Directory), please provide copies, redacted only where
required under the Act.

This request supports journalistic reporting on public understanding
of fraud response processes in the context of increasing online scams,
which is in the public interest to promote transparency, informed
reporting to Police, and trust in the system.

If any part requires clarification or scoping, please contact me
promptly. I am happy for the response to be provided via FYI.org.nz to
the originating email address.

Yours faithfully,
Harry Satoshi

Chief Editor, Cryptocurrency NZ
(Christchurch resident)