Scam locks up computers, accuses users of downloading porn

The malware often has an official-looking reference to police and cyber-crime. (istock)

The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre is warning people about a 'scareware' scam that locks up your computer, displaying a message that says it has been linked to child pornography.

The message tells users that the only fix is to send $ 100 to the RCMP, (or in some cases CSIS), as a fine.

"No police would squeeze money out of people in this way," said Daniel Williams, a supervisor with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

'Most certainly as the sun is going to shine tomorrow, scammers don't continue if they don't make money'—Daniel Williams, Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre

Williams said the malware scam appears to have originated with gangs in the former Soviet Union and was popular in the United Kingdom several years ago before coming to Canada.

"Malware is planted here, there and everywhere on the internet," he said. "They tailor the warning to the country you're in, so in Canada they say send money to the RCMP."

But the money transferred through UKash "seems like it's going to Europe," Williams said, adding that following the cash is usually the best way for police to track scam artists.

However, there is a better way to end this kind of fraud, according to Williams: don't send money to unknown sources over the internet.

"Most certainly as the sun is going to shine tomorrow, scammers don't continue if they don't make money," he said. "By paying the money all you're doing is encouraging them."

Nearly 1,500 complaints in Canada

But that's where this scam has a psychological edge. Williams said people who are worried their computer has been linked to child pornography would rather click a button to make the problem go away than let the police know about a potential fraud.

Williams estimates the Anti-Fraud Centre has received about 1,500 complaints about the 'scareware' scam since it first showed up in Canada last February.

He said once the warning appears on your screen, your computer is already infected with the malware and it's best to get professional help to fix it, lest you fall victim to another fraud with online fixes.

The Anti-Fraud Centre encourages anyone who has experienced the scam to contact them, so they can prevent others from being defrauded.

"Any and all information that we can gather, we make available to law enforcement worldwide," he said.

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Aberdeen and North - Fri, 24 Feb, 2012

Seventeen Scottish skippers and a processing firm have been fined almost a million pounds for their part in the UK's biggest fish fraud. The men admitted selling vast quantities of over-quota herring and mackerel in a near sixty three million pound scam. At the High Court in Glasgow six other trawlermen also admitted illegal landings. In other news: There are calls tonight for a radical overhaul of the rules surrounding diplomatic immunity after a Russian consular official escaped prosecution over a drink driving offence in Perthshire; Police investigating the murder of a Perthshire pensioner say they're narrowing down the time her killer struck. In sport: David Goodwillie's move to Blackburn Rovers has netted Dundee United 2.8 million pounds. But the latest six-figure instalment due to United from the Ewood Park side as part of the deal was ten days overdue.This international version of STV News at Six is viewable world-wide. It has been edited for rights reasons, which also allows us to keep the programme online after the initial 24-hour broadcast window in the UK has passed. Viewers within the UK who want to watch the full episode 'as broadcast' should select the UK version of the programme.

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