For a few days a message appears on the screen while surfing the Internet and warns that the PC is blocked: what is happening
“Your computer is blocked”. This is the opening of the new scam-message that has gone viral in recent hours and is creating panic among Internet users. The message appears while surfing the Internet and warns the user that a virus has taken possession of the PC and personal information have already been stolen by hackers.
To give the alarm is the Facebook page “A life as a social” managed by the State Police and always very active in reporting attempts to fraud against Italian citizens. As the State Police writes on its website, it is not the first time that this kind of alerts appear in this form on the computer screens of users. The scammers try to create alarm in the hope that a user will fall into the trap and follow the instructions to unlock the computer. In fact, in the text of the message there is a phone number to call for assistance from specialized engineers. But in reality it is a ploy to take possession of the PC and ask for a few hundred euros in exchange. Here’s what you can do to protect yourself from this online scam.
Your PC is locked – here’s the warning message
“Security warning: Your computer has been locked. Error #DW6VB36. Please call us immediately at +39 0694804XXX. Do not ignore this critical warning. If you close this page, your computer’s access will be disabled to prevent further damage to our network. Your computer has alerted us that it has been infested with viruses and spyware. The following information has been stolen: Facebook Access, Credit Card Details, Email Account Access, Photos stored on this computer. You need to contact us immediately so that our engineers can walk you through the removal process over the phone. Please call us within the next 5 minutes to prevent your computer from being deactivated. Call for support: +390694804XXX.”
What appears to be a genuine message of salvation before the total PC lockdown, is actually a scam. The message appears to users while they are surfing the Internet, for no apparent reason: suddenly the monitor turns red with the words “Security warning” in plain sight and below it the text you have just read. But none of the information in the message is true: it’s all fake. There is no Error #DW6VB36. You do not need to call any number for assistance. Just close the browser tab and restart the PC if necessary. Small side note: the message seems to appear only on Windows computers.
If, however, you fall into the scammers’ trap and decide to call the number in the message, an alleged computer engineer will answer and remotely take control of your PC, steal information from the hard disk and even install a virus. But that’s not all. For the “technical intervention” he will also ask for a hundred euros in exchange.
How to defend yourself from the scam
The Postal and Communications Police in the article posted on their blog also provides tips to defend yourself from this type of fraud. First of all, you should never fall into these traps: if you receive a message of this kind, just ignore it, even if it exerts a strong psychological pressure.
If messages of this kind appear continuously while you are surfing the Internet, you should run an antivirus scan.
The possibility that an adware (a particular type of malware) has taken control of your computer is very high. For those who don’t know, adware is a virus that displays malicious advertisements on your PC.
Finally, it is good to remember that you need to install an antivirus that will protect your devices. There are plenty of them, even free ones. The important thing is to have a software that will protect you from this type of online scams.