'Ransomware' Computer Scam Continues, Police Say

A scam to infect computers and demand money to fix them remains a problem in the area, with more officials now warning residents to be alert.

Monmouth County local police were warning residents of the scam in July, after reports that residents had received requests to download items onto the computer in order to "fix" it. Spring Lake Heights Police issued an alert about the scam in July.

The scam is now being investigated by the FBI, and the Department of Consumer Affairs with the Ocean County Prosecutor posted a detailed announcement of how the scam unfolds. Officials are warning residents in Monmouth county to report any incidents to local police.

Department of Consumer Affairs Director Stephen Scaturro issued the advisory Monday, writing in a statement that the Ocean County 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.

The scam, known as "Ransomware," has been circulating regularly recently in the United States and Europe, said Al Della Face, spokesman for the Ocean County prosecutor's office.

The malicious software can be installed from a website the user has visited, from an email, 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 popup 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," the statement 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."

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

Reported by Daniel Nee for Patch.