#154662 by jolly_roger
Thu Mar 07, 2013 11:31 pm
People are urged to be alert because of a scareware scam where scammers posing as the Australian Federal Police try to scare you into handing over money to regain control of your computer. Although an alert on this scam was previously issued in October 2012, incidents of this scam have continued to increase since the beginning of the year twenty thirteen. Most of the reports stem out of the Eastern States of Australia. The scam involves internet users finding that their computer has been frozen, with a pop-up alert appearing on their screen. The alert claims to be from the Federal Police and states that the user’s computer has been locked because they have visited an illegal website or breached various laws. The scammer claims that they will unlock the computer if a fee is paid. (usually $100 or $199 – using a prepaid money service.) The Federal Police do not operate this way and this message is not associated with them in any way.
Don’t let a scammer ransom you – if you pay, you are not guaranteed that you will regain control of your computer and there will likely be significant data losses once the virus is removed or computer unlocked.
If you pay, the scammers may or may not unlock your computer. Even if you do regain access to your computer, malware may continue to operate so that the scammers can use your personal and financial details to commit fraud.
Don’t let a scammer ransom you – if you pay, you are not guaranteed that you will regain control of your computer and there will likely be significant data losses once the virus is removed or computer unlocked.
If you pay, the scammers may or may not unlock your computer. Even if you do regain access to your computer, malware may continue to operate so that the scammers can use your personal and financial details to commit fraud.
