OFG
Well-Known Member
Sorry i've put this here but wasn't sure where else to post this.
A member of staff at work reported this today, just thought I would share it so peeps would be alert / aware of it:
On Saturday my Daughter received an on-screen warning purporting to be from a joint operation by the Metropolitan police and the Strathclyde police where she had been discovered viewing websites containing scenes of extreme violence and child pornography.
As a result the police had locked her computer (by the way, the warning screen contains the correct information on service provider and IP addresses and looks very official) but she could get it unlocked only by paying £100 within the next 48 hours otherwise, something else undefined - would happen.
I dont recall a phone number in there, but there were four methods of payment, two of which were though U-cash or similar payment methods.
The screen is largely blue, with the Metropolitan and Strathclyde Police logos at the top, but it is a scam. If you receive it, look at the spelling mistakes in the wording.
Plus, if you were looking at that sort of material, I suspect that the Police would not send you and e-mail, but would come to arrest you directly, not offer you the option of paying an unlock fee.
I reported the events to the Police locally and they have recorded it as a fraud/crime, plus I have reported it to the government anti-fraud agency and they have done the same.
There were at least 50 reported incidences of the same scam on Saturday alone, so be aware and do not pay up!
My daughter was actually doing homework accessing her school website when the screen appeared, so you do not need to be looking at anything even remotely naughty to get caught out.
The anti-fraud line also told me that someone was shopping on-line at Debenhams and someone else was looking on Google and got the same scam, so be aware please and dont get caught out.
A member of staff at work reported this today, just thought I would share it so peeps would be alert / aware of it:
On Saturday my Daughter received an on-screen warning purporting to be from a joint operation by the Metropolitan police and the Strathclyde police where she had been discovered viewing websites containing scenes of extreme violence and child pornography.
As a result the police had locked her computer (by the way, the warning screen contains the correct information on service provider and IP addresses and looks very official) but she could get it unlocked only by paying £100 within the next 48 hours otherwise, something else undefined - would happen.
I dont recall a phone number in there, but there were four methods of payment, two of which were though U-cash or similar payment methods.
The screen is largely blue, with the Metropolitan and Strathclyde Police logos at the top, but it is a scam. If you receive it, look at the spelling mistakes in the wording.
Plus, if you were looking at that sort of material, I suspect that the Police would not send you and e-mail, but would come to arrest you directly, not offer you the option of paying an unlock fee.
I reported the events to the Police locally and they have recorded it as a fraud/crime, plus I have reported it to the government anti-fraud agency and they have done the same.
There were at least 50 reported incidences of the same scam on Saturday alone, so be aware and do not pay up!
My daughter was actually doing homework accessing her school website when the screen appeared, so you do not need to be looking at anything even remotely naughty to get caught out.
The anti-fraud line also told me that someone was shopping on-line at Debenhams and someone else was looking on Google and got the same scam, so be aware please and dont get caught out.
