Gardaí warn of 'Police Trojan' computer locking virus

The scam locks computers and displays a police logo, and requests that users pay a fine to be unlocked

By Emer McLysaght Friday 15 Jun 2012, 5:13 PM

Jun 15th 2012, 5:13 PM 19,936 Views 34 Comments

http://jrnl.ie/488837

Image: Jim Mead via Flickr/Creative Commons

Image: Jim Mead via Flickr/Creative Commons

GARDAÍ ARE WARNING the public to be wary of a computer virus which locks computers displaying a police logo and asks users to pay a fine.

The scam has been in operation in other countries and Gardaí say that the virus detects the country in which the computer is located and downloads the appropriate police logo and locks down the user’s screen.

A pop up claims that the computer has been used to carry out illegal activities and demands payment of a fine in order to unlock the computer.

A Garda spokesperson has said that members of the public would never be contacted in this way and that users should not share their bank details or pay out any money. If a computer user is deceived into paying a fine they should contact their local Garda station as soon as possible.

The Gardaí have provided a screenshot of what an affected computer might look like:

Read: PSNI warns of ‘computer locking’ PC virus scam>

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Gardaí warn of 'Police Trojan' computer locking virus

The scam locks computers and displays a police logo, and requests that users pay a fine to be unlocked