A scam email is circulating which references the police and "other justice sector partners" and says they have found illegal explicit material on the recipient's computer.
It demands a response within 48 hours, threatening arrest otherwise.
Police are urging those who receive the scam email not to respond under any circumstances.
It said it had received several reports of the scam and inquiries are underway.
Police say they would never contact people out of the blue and ask for passwords, credit cards or bank details.
"Police recommend taking a cautious approach to unsolicited emails. Trust your gut instinct - if it doesn't feel right, it probably isn't."
Anyone receiving an email of this description is asked to forward it directly to the Police Cybercrime Team - cybercrime@police.govt.nz.
Information around scams in circulation can be found on the Consumer Protection NZ website.
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