Received a threatening text message with a demand for money recently? You're not alone.

Police and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission have warned that the messages - which typically read "Someone paid me to kill you. If you want me to spare you, I'll give you two days to pay $5000. If you inform the police or anybody, you will die, I am monitoring you" - are fake.

The ACCC's ScamWatch website reports that some messages are long, but for others the message is broken up across several text messages.

The phone number is listed as either international or blocked and typically demands an email be sent to killerking247@yahoo.com.