A new scam targeting your computer and pocketbook is going around the internet.
The latest version of ransomware, called
reveton, is posing as an alert from the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI). However, the FBI is warning the public that the alerts are indeed scams.
The scam will lock your computer and appear with a warning threatening to report you to investigators for allegedly committing a crime. It will then prompt you to pay a fine upfront, so the warning will go away.
The FBI says not to pay at all. Legitimate government alerts will never ask for payments upfront.
If you've received this warning, you can file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center. To remove malware, the FBI suggests consulting a local computer expert. For futher information on internet crimes, including scams and fraud, the FBI has created a website with web resources to help consumers.
You can visit the Internet Crime Complaint Center and the FBI Internet Crimes websites at
www.ic3.gov,
www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/Internet-Fraud.shtml.
