The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department issued a warning Friday about an uptick in complaints about an Internet virus that locks computers and demands payment after falsely alleging the user is guilty of a crime.
The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center first issued an alert in August about the virus known as Reveton ransomware virus, a malware program that can engage as soon as a victim clicks on a compromised website. The virus then locks the victim’s computer and displays a message claiming that there has been a violation of federal law.