Peaches Posted April 13, 2011 Report Share Posted April 13, 2011 13 April 2011, 10:35 Ransomware claims to lock Windows licence Calls to unlock the computer are allegedly free. Source: F-Secure In what appears to be a lucrative scam, after infecting a system, ransomware blocks users from accessing their system and demands payment of a ransom to restore access. A recent variation on this theme claims to lock the Windows licence. The licence can be restored (re-activated) by calling a supposedly free service number. However, the message is not generated by Microsoft – it's a trick and the call is, of course, anything but free. The numbers called are expensive international numbers in countries such as Madagascar. As anti-virus specialist F-Secure reports, calls are placed in a queue for several minutes to ensure that calling costs mount up. With the help of an operator, the fraudsters are able to divert the call to a cheaper country, allowing them to pocket a portion of the call charge to the number originally called. Details & screenshot: http://www.h-online.com/security/news/item/Ransomware-claims-to-lock-Windows-licence-1226789.html Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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