The police issued a warning today about a variant of a computer malware, known as “police ransomware”, which even features the Malta Police Force logo.
Computer systems infected with police ransomware display a warning message claiming that the user’s computer had been “suspended on the grounds of unauthorised cyber activity” and that a fine has to be paid for the computer to be unblocked.
The user will often notice that the computer has seized up or that his documents are no longer accessible. In almost all cases, paying the ransom does not restore the computer to its original state.
The police said that no law enforcement agency, including the Malta Police Force, collects fines in this manner. Such computer messages claiming to be from the Malta Police Force are fraudulent. Users targeted by police ransomware should not pay any money.