A spate of hacking attacks on Apple electronic devices in Australia has now reached New Zealand, Netsafe says.
Users of iPhone, iPad and Mac devices complained they were hacked and then locked themselves. A message demanding payment then appeared on the screen in order for them to be able to access their device again.
An online thread addressing the issue on Apple's official Support Communities website had been viewed more than 35,000 times since it was posted three days ago.
"We've received our first report of a hacked Apple ID and locked iPhone," NetSafe posted on their Facebook page on Tuesday.
"Please take 5 minutes to change your Apple password ASAP - especially if you use the same password on other online accounts."