The New Zealand Financial Markets Authority (FMA) and the National Reserve Bank of Tonga have warned investors in Tonga and New Zealand about a high-risk Ponzi-style investment scam circulating in both countries under the name BG Wealth/DSJ EX, described as part of a wider scheme known as TXEX that uses multi-level marketing style recruitment. The scam approaches people through social media messaging groups on platforms such as WhatsApp, Viber and Bon Chat, often fronted by a supposed “professor” and “assistant”, promising 100 percent returns and incentivising participants to recruit friends and family. Victims are instructed to fund a cryptocurrency exchange account using money from their bank, then transfer crypto into a purported trading account on a fake app that contains malware; early small withdrawals can be allowed to build trust before victims are blocked from withdrawing their full balance and pressured to pay a “fee” that does not result in any funds being returned. The FMA’s warning lists 813 websites and 30 entities linked to the scam as duplicates, and the authorities urged people not to download the app, not to invest, and to report suspicious activity without delay.