If you receive a notification like this do not pay £200 and do not phone the police. Its a scam! We have received a number of calls today from people who have fallen victim to this variant of ransomware. Its particularly prevalent on Google android devices, but similar scams of this nature target PC’s and Macs.
On this device you can see it displays a message claiming to be from Cheshire Police. It also explains that the phone is encrypted and blocked for safety reasons. You are also asked to pay a fine of £200 via Paypoint. Needless to say, if you pay the amount the phone stays locked and its not encrypted or indeed recording any audio or video.
From what what we understand a rouge message via Facebook Messenger could be linked to the recent upsurge. We don’t know the full details as yet, but what we do know is that it installs a malicious application which calls itself ‘system update or ‘cleaner’. If you fall victim and need help, we’re on hand to support if you need us.
FHJ
