National warning on computer scam

UK Police is warning the public to beware of a new scam used by fraudsters targeting personal computers.
 
Officers from the Met’s Police Central e-Crime Unit (PCeU) are investigating a computer scam which attempts to exhort money from unsuspecting members of public by impersonating law enforcement agencies.

The malicious software infects personal computers after users have accessed certain websites. The virus causes the PC to freeze and lock, with a message purporting to be from various police forces, including the Met Police, advising the user they are required to pay a fine to unlock the computer.

This is a fraud and users are advised NOT to pay out any monies or hand out any bank details.

Genuine law enforcement agencies would never contact members of the public via email and demand funds in this way.

We would advise anyone who has been deceived by such a message and handed their banking details over to report the matter to the card issuer immediately and report the offence to their local police by dialling "101" or the local non-emergency police number. Virus/Malware infections where no money has been lost can be logged at Action Fraud

In order to reduce the chances of being infected by this or similar malware police strongly recommend that anti-virus software is both used and, importantly, routinely updated to keep pace with new threats as they are discovered. In addition, operating systems such as Windows and Mac OS routinely issue updates that patch potential vulnerabilities. Sound advice can be found at Get Safe Online.