Crime & Safety

Beware of 'Ransomware' - Ocean County Officials Warn Of New Computer Scam

Scam creates pop-up website that demands money to 'unlock' computer

Ocean County officials are warning of a computer scam in which malicious computer programs trick victims into "submitting money to unknown entities."

Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato and Department of Consumer Affairs Director Stephen Scaturro issued the advisory Monday. They said in a statement that the prosecutor's office has received several calls from residents who say they received message on their computers telling them their machines had been locked by the FBI.

 "The message on the computer tells the user that they are being investigated by the FBI for certain illegal computer activities, ranging from illegal music downloads to even allegations of trafficking in child pornography," the prosecutor's office said in a statement.

The computer owners are then instructed to purchase a money order or gift card to pay a fine or risk being arrested by the FBI or some other law enforcement entity, Coronato said.
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The scam, known as "Ransomware," has been circulating regularly recently in the United States and Europe, said Al Della Face, spokesman for the prosecutor's office.

The malicious software can be installed from a website the user has visited, from an e-mail, instant message or a message on a social network which the user receives.

When Ransomware infects a computer, it will cause the computer to lock up. It then often generates a pop-up web page advising the user to pay a fine in order to unlock the machine, or risk criminal penalties.

"Once a computer is infected, people are often forced to bring their computer to a repair store to have the issue resolved, causing unnecessary expense, inconvenience and loss of use of the personal computer," Coronato said.

"Although anti-virus companies are working to prevent this type of activity, unfortunately computer criminals are always updating their tactics and inventing ways to circumvent the computer industry’s anti-virus programs," he said in the statement.

County residents are being advised to keep their security software up to date, keep the computer's firewall turned on, and refrain from opening spam e-mail messages or links to suspicious websites.

Questions or inquiries about Ransomeware can be reported to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crimes Unit at 732-929-2027, Della Fave said. The prosecutor's office can then make a report to the FBI about any incidents.

For further tips on how to avoid computer scams, call the Ocean County Department of Consumer Affairs at 732-929-2105.


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