AN internet scam convincing some computer users they are being investigated for terrorism and child pornography by the Australian Federal Police is continuing to extort money from Australians almost a month after its creators were busted in Spain.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said it had last month received more than 300 complaints about the scam, which locks a user's computer with a hoax AFP warning notice saying the computer has been "suspended on the grounds of unauthorised cyberactivity" for child pornography, promoting terrorism and pirating movies.
"You have broken the law, your actions are illegal and will lead to criminal liability," the notice reads, demanding a payment of a $100 "release fee" to unlock the computer and "avoid legal consequences".
The scam is distributed through a virus, which in some cases is able to access the user's webcam, taking a photo of them which is displayed on screen as "evidence" that has been submitted to the authorities.
The notice threatens criminal proceedings, jail and a fine of $22,000 if payment is not received within 48 hours.
A spokesperson for the AFP said the scam, which affected users in 30 countries and generated more than 1200 reports in Spain alone, originated from a European crime syndicate broken up by Europol and Spanish police last month.
Six Russians, two Ukrainians and two Georgians were detained in Spain's Costa del Sol as part of the investigation, however the virus they created is still trapping vulnerable internet users.
Adelaide IT repairman Richard Pascoe said he was regularly called upon to fix computers locked by the scam, dealing with four cases in the past two weeks.
"These clients were also willing to pay until they rang me so I can imagine lots do pay, then get their credit cards wiped out as well," he said.
Michael Feldman of Computer Doc in Victoria said he also saw the scam frequently.
"It's a bad scam but I'm seeing a lot of it, it's keeping me in work," he said.
"A lot of people are gullible in that respect, it especially targets the elderly that don't know much about computers, and also the average person that doesn't know much and they end up giving them their Visa card."
An AFP spokesperson said computer users could protect themselves by keeping their anti virus software up to date, using strong passwords and never clicking on links from spam emails or on unfamiliar websites.
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