The scam tells the person that the FBI accuses them of trying to access child pornography and that the user must pay $200 to unlock their computer. "Whoever's created this virus is using law enforcement and a law enforcement seal to try to scare people into putting money into an account. So we want to just let the public know this is not the case. If this comes from law enforcement wanting you to pay money online, it's a scam," says David Ehsanipoor from the sheriff's office.
He says says several people actually paid the money, apparently because the email claims the person will be sent to jail for five years and put on the sex offender registry. "That should be a red flag to people, it is a red flag to us," Ehsanipoor said. "If you're looking at child pornography, you're probably not going to get a pop up on your screen, you're probably going to get a visit from us."
"All law enforcement take this seriously, I can definitely speak on our behalf, we take it pretty seriously when somebody's going to misrepresent themselves as law enforcement to obtain money from innocent people," says Ehsanipoor.
Ehsanipoor says no law enforcement agency will ask you for cash. He says this appears to be a nationwide scam and Effingham County residents who have had their computers locked can get help by calling 912-754-3449.
Effingham County Says Some People Taken in Computer Scams | WSAV TV
