You clicked on a linked. You opened an attachment. You shouldn’t have done that. But just like that the message of doom pops up: Your Computer Has Been Locked.
Your computer has officially been infected with a type of malware known as Trojan Reveton. It’s ransomware—where hackers will lock your computer unless you pay them inordinate amounts of money. You’re very likely about to be scammed—unless, of course, you have Nerds In A Flash on your side.
This particular ransomware scam has been going around for the past few years. The way it works: innocent people click the wrong link or open what they assume is a legitimate email and suddenly their computer locks up. The screens that pop up will feature claims from an official law enforcement agency –the FBI, the US Department of Justice, or the Metropolitan Police—saying that your computer has been blocked because of involvement in illegal spam, pornography, or copyrighted materials.
This is where most people panic—and fall right into the scammers’ hands.
The lock screen will include instructions demanding you send a GreenDot MoneyPak Voucher or MoneyGram paying a fine for your involvement in the made up pornography/SPAM/Copyrighted crime. You’re essentially paying a ransom to the scammers through your own personal computer.
Be aware that these viruses can be pretty sophisticated. It’s possible for them to put a Security Account Manager Registry Lock on your computer, which could necessitate an entire wipe of your hard drive. However, this is the worst case scenario. Usually, we can save your skin without having to lose any data.
So if you ever get a “Your Computer Has Been Locked” message, there’s no need to panic. Certainly there’s no need to lose your hard-earned money. Contact us as soon as you see any kind of “Your Computer Has Been Locked” pop up and we’ll rescue you and your computer.
