Authorities Warn Against 'Ransom-Ware' Scam

A frightening new scam is sweeping the country holding computers and their data for ransom. We've seen several cases in our state already.

Thursday, August 13th 2015, 11:40 am

By: News 9


A frightening new scam is sweeping the country holding computers and their data for ransom. We've seen several cases in our state already.

The so-called "Ransom-Ware" scam starts with just a small pop-up window. The alert tells users their computer is infected,  and by clicking "yes" it will be fixed. But once you do that, the criminal gets inside your computer and the ransom process begins.

Another message will then pop up saying your computer has been taken over, and the only way to get your data back is to pay a ransom.

Scammers have tried this on millions of people, but experts say the elderly are most likely to fall victim. And if you think paying will fix the issue, think again.

"When people have started paying and start calling the number that is given in that, nobody gets back, no one is connected to that number," said Sunil Chopra, a Computer Repair Technician.

Police say little can be done to stop these scams since most originate overseas. 

As far as getting rid of it, repair technicians say they can do a factory reset, which will rid your system of the virus.They also recommend downloading anti-virus software and updating the software on a regular basis.

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