The investigation into the alleged unauthorised transaction of cryptocurrency at the Christchurch company Cryptopia has continued today.



The inquiry is still in its very early stages and police are continuing to work with Cryptopia to establish what has happened and how.



Police are not yet in a position to say how much cryptocurrency is involved, other than it is a significant amount.



A large team, including Canterbury CIB and specialist staff from the police High Tech Crime Unit, have been assigned to the case.



There has been a visible police presence at the company’s Colombo Street headquarters throughout the day as police take the steps needed to progress the investigation.



While police are unable to go into details about specific steps being taken at this stage, we can say that our focus includes commencing both a forensic digital investigation of the company, and a physical scene examination at the building.



We are dealing with a complex situation and we are unable to put a timeframe on how long the investigation may take.



We are also aware of speculation in the online community about what might have occurred. It is too early for us to draw any conclusions and Police will keep an open mind on all possibilities while we gather the information we need.



A priority for police is to identify and, if possible, recover missing funds for Cryptopia customers; however there are likely to be many challenges to achieving this.



We would also like to make clear that Cryptopia are cooperating fully with the investigation team and a media report that police ‘stormed’ the building today is entirely incorrect.



Anyone with information which could assist the investigation can contact police by email at crypto@police.govt.nz.



ENDS



Issued by Police Media Centre.



