ASHLAND - Ashland Police Chief Adam J. Bernodin Jr. is warning the public to be wary of an e-mail scam that purportedly comes from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), but is just a ploy by scammers to get money and access to a computer.
Bernodin explained that on July 21, a borough resident, who asked be unidentified, reported to police about the computer scam. After opening an e-mail, the computer froze and a message appeared stating that the FBI has seized the computer and wanted $200 to unlock it.
The resident did not follow the instructions and reported the incident instead to Ashland police. When Bernodin was made aware of the matter, he contacted the FBI.
"I called the FBI and they stated it is not them and they had received a lot of complaints about the same thing," said Bernodin.
Ransomware
The FBI directed Bernodin to its website and the section dealing with e-scams and warnings (www.fbi.gov/scams-safety/e-scams) that includes the warning of Citadel malware delivering Reveton ransomware in attempts to extort money. The warning came through Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), which is a partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center, funded in part by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA).
According to the warning, "The ransomware lures the victim to a drive-by download website, at which time the ransomware is installed on the user's computer. Once installed, the computer freezes and a screen is displayed warning the user they have violated United States federal law. The message further declares the user's IP address was identified by the Computer Crime & Intellectual Property Section as visiting child pornography and other illegal content."
Bernodin said that with the reference to the FBI, it seems like it's an official warning.
The FBI explained, "To unlock the computer, the user is instructed to pay a $100 fine to the U.S. Department of Justice using prepaid money card services. The geographic location of the user's IP address determines what payment services are offered.
In addition to the ransomware, the Citadel malware continues to operate on the compromised computer and can be used to commit online banking and credit card fraud."
The FBI website warns computer users, "This is an attempt to extort money with the additional possibility of the victim's computer being used to participate in online bank fraud. If you have received this or something similar, do not follow payment instructions."
The FBI suggests anyone who has encountered such a scam should contact your banking institutions and file a complaint at www.IC3.gov.