A retired teacher who received an emailed death threat demanding that he paid $9000 did the right thing in reporting the scam, police say.
Senior Sergeant Bruce Ross, of Dunedin, said the man contacted police late last month after receiving the email with the subject line "Do you want to live or die".
The email, which warns the recipient not to contact police, has been referred to the Department of Internal Affairs anti-spam compliance unit, and posted on its website.
The email from Aziz Manasawala requests an initial payment of $5000, then a taped conversation of the person who wanted the recipient dead would be released, when the $4000 balance would be demanded.
"As I am writing to you now, my men are monitoring you and they are telling me everything about you. Now do you want to LIVE OR DIE? As someone has paid us to kill you," the email says.
"As you can see there is no need for me introducing myself to you because I don't have any business with you, my duty as I am mailing you now is just to (KILL YOU) and I have to do it as I have already been paid for that."
Snr Sgt Ross said people should never reply to, or click on links in suspicious emails, but report them to authorities.
"It is a load of rubbish ... it is someone trying to extort money from overseas."
