18 October 2012

Beware the AFP popup

18 October 2012 | By johnboy

An online scam designed to defraud Australians, has falsely used the Australian Federal Police (AFP) logo in an attempt to lure consumers into paying sums of money to unlock their personal computers.

The AFP has received reports from members of the public advising that while browsing the internet, a ‘pop up’ message has appeared on their computer screen purporting to be from the AFP. The message informs the computer user that their computer is ‘locked’ and requires the user to pay a fee to ‘unlock’ their system.

The AFP does not solicit funds and this message is not associated with the AFP in any way. The appearance of the ‘pop up’ message is due to a virus that is on the personal computer.

AFP Manager of Cybercrime Operations, Commander Glen McEwen says that the public need to be aware of online scams and put appropriate measures in place to avoid getting caught up in them.

“I urge all computer users to be wary of these types of online scams.”

“Users affected by this particular scam should not pay any money and should seek support from a repair centre if they need assistance to remove the virus,” Commander McEwen said.

Members of the public are advised to be aware of this scam and to consider the general computer safety tips below:

• maintain current anti-virus software that is obtained from a reputable source and is regularly updated

• ensure their operating system is updated to ensure any security vulnerabilities are mitigated

• use strong passwords to protect their personal information

• limit the amount of personal information placed on the internet

• do not provide financial or other personal information to people that you do not know and trust

• never click on links contained within spam or unexpected emails.

Anyone who receives a similar request or believes they are a victim of this type of fraud should report it to SCAMwatch on 1300 795 995 or go to
www.scamwatch.gov.au.

The SCAMwatch website also includes helpful hints for spotting scams and keeping personal details safe.

For more information on internet fraud and scams, visit the AFP website:
http://www.afp.gov.au/policing/cybercrime/internet-fraud-and-scams.aspx

Media enquiries:
AFP National Media (02) 6131 6333

[Courtesy ACT Policing]

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kos5:06 pm 19 Oct 12

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd said :

SnapperJack said :

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd said :

BenMac said :

Just stay off the porn sites and you’ll be fine. Hard for some, I know.

Good point. Only certain types of sites will make these pop ups happen.

Any site which is offering content that other sites sell is suspect. Also a lot of freeware. Illegal music and software downloads, torrent sites, porn, C-Net and other download sites (Babylon Toolbar and Claro are virtually impossible to remove once installed) and sites such as Rapidshare.

Much of this rubbish can be removed with SUPERantispyware and AdAware but sometimes you need a more powerful removal tool such as Malwarebytes.

You do not even need anti virus protection. Just do not use internet explorer.

Yes you do, and just using a browser that is not IE does not somehow magically make you impervious to malware. Step one on any list of how to secure your computer is to run Anti Virus.

http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_310316
http://www.cert.org/homeusers/HomeComputerSecurity/
http://www.microsoft.com/security/family-safety/online-safety-tips.aspx

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd12:34 pm 19 Oct 12

SnapperJack said :

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd said :

BenMac said :

Just stay off the porn sites and you’ll be fine. Hard for some, I know.

Good point. Only certain types of sites will make these pop ups happen.

Any site which is offering content that other sites sell is suspect. Also a lot of freeware. Illegal music and software downloads, torrent sites, porn, C-Net and other download sites (Babylon Toolbar and Claro are virtually impossible to remove once installed) and sites such as Rapidshare.

Much of this rubbish can be removed with SUPERantispyware and AdAware but sometimes you need a more powerful removal tool such as Malwarebytes.

You do not even need anti virus protection. Just do not use internet explorer.

NoImRight12:19 pm 19 Oct 12

SnapperJack said :

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd said :

BenMac said :

Just stay off the porn sites and you’ll be fine. Hard for some, I know.

Good point. Only certain types of sites will make these pop ups happen.

Any site which is offering content that other sites sell is suspect. Also a lot of freeware. Illegal music and software downloads, torrent sites, porn, C-Net and other download sites (Babylon Toolbar and Claro are virtually impossible to remove once installed) and sites such as Rapidshare.

Much of this rubbish can be removed with SUPERantispyware and AdAware but sometimes you need a more powerful removal tool such as Malwarebytes.

Agree AdAware and Malwarebytes work well. McAffee seems to have lost the plot in the last couple of years. In my experience anyway.

HenryBG12:10 pm 19 Oct 12

Jivrashia said :

I’m serious. Unless you’re one of those who regularly read about the latest scam to surface on the internet you are an easy picking for scammers.

Get real.

This is no different from somebody dumping a load of sand on your driveway and then knocking on your door to demand a fee to remove it.

No sympathy from me for anybody stupid enough to fall for these scams.

SnapperJack11:31 am 19 Oct 12

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd said :

BenMac said :

Just stay off the porn sites and you’ll be fine. Hard for some, I know.

Good point. Only certain types of sites will make these pop ups happen.

Any site which is offering content that other sites sell is suspect. Also a lot of freeware. Illegal music and software downloads, torrent sites, porn, C-Net and other download sites (Babylon Toolbar and Claro are virtually impossible to remove once installed) and sites such as Rapidshare.

Much of this rubbish can be removed with SUPERantispyware and AdAware but sometimes you need a more powerful removal tool such as Malwarebytes.

Jivrashia11:20 am 19 Oct 12

Sandman said :

What about the elderly, the trusting, those who struggle to keep up with technological advancements? Do they deserve it?

Agree.
For their own safety we should just take the internet away from them.

I’m serious. Unless you’re one of those who regularly read about the latest scam to surface on the internet you are an easy picking for scammers.

In fact one can write a whole book on all the scams that has ever occurred on Ebay and Gumtree.
Oh, and group coupons and SEOs.

Mr Gillespie11:16 am 19 Oct 12

If these idiots wanna make money, why can’t they do it the honest, decent way, instead of trying to scam and phish money out of other people?

c_c9:42 am 19 Oct 12

BenMac said :

Just stay off the porn sites and you’ll be fine. Hard for some, I know.

That’s a bit like the myth that most websites are porn sites.

A very effective vector now is to get malware distributed via ad networks. That’s how New York Times readers who a worm a while back, because NY Times outsourced its homepage ads at the time to an ad network that didn’t do a great job vetting content.

kos9:38 am 19 Oct 12

BenMac said :