DETROIT — The Detroit branch of the FBI is warning computer users about a scam that claims tens of thousands of victims nationwide.
In a ransomware scam, they say it will demand ransom for violating a law through a pop-up message.
The message claims to be from the FBI or another federal agency. It will say your computer will remain locked until you pay the fee, or your files have been encrypted, and to pay upwards of thousands of dollars to regain access. If you don't, the scam threatens permanent destruction.
The FBI said in the press release to immediately disconnect from the Internet if you get either of these messages to avoid further infection or data loss.
The ransomware scam has become a significant threat to U.S. businesses, state and local government, public services, schools and people, according to the FBI.
They said since 2018 the attacks have declined, but the losses from the scam have had the opposite effect.
Here the tips they give to protect your computer from the scam:
- Conduct regular system back-ups and store the backed-up data offline.
- Filter out emails with .exe attachments and set your computer to show hidden file extensions. Ransomware is often delivered as a file with more than one file extension such as example.pdf.exe.
- Make sure you have updated antivirus software on your computer.
- Require a password to disable antivirus and firewall.
- Limit the number of people who have admin rights to your domain.
- Do not log into a domain admin account on a user workstation.
- Enable automated patches for your operating system and web browser.
- Have strong passwords and don’t use the same password for everything.
- Use a popup blocker.
- Only download software – especially free software – from sites you know and trust (malware can also come in downloadable games, file-sharing programs, and customizable toolbars).
- Don’t open attachments in unsolicited emails, even if they come from people in your contact list, and never click on a URL contained in an unsolicited email, even if you think it looks safe. Instead, close out the e-mail and go to the organization’s website directly.
If you receive a ransomware pop-up message, they urge you to contact the FBI's Detroit Division at 313-965-2323 or report it to the Internet Crime Complaint Center.
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