“Your computer has been locked”: new wave of online scams, what to do

When browsing completely normal sites, many users have found themselves faced with an alarming message. Be careful not to fall into the trap

“Security warning: Your computer has been locked. Bug # DW6VB36. Call us immediately at +39 0694804XXX “. If you see this message on your PC, stay calm and do not make a hasty decision. As the postal police explain, a new wave of online scams is taking place. Browsing completely normal sites, many users found themselves in front of “an alarming message and, apparently, coming from Microsoft”.

The message PS Online is talking about is as follows:

“Security warning: your computer has been locked. Bug # DW6VB36. Call us immediately at +39 0694804XXX. Do not ignore this critical warning.

If you close this page, access to your computer will be disabled to prevent further damage to our network. Your computer has warned us that it has been infected with viruses and spyware. The following information was stolen: Facebook login, credit card details, email account login, photos stored on this computer.

You should contact us immediately so our engineers can guide you through the removal process over the phone. Call us within the next 5 minutes to prevent your computer from shutting down. Call for support: + 390694804XXX “.

The important thing is not to fall into the trap. In fact, the postal police explain that “when the message is displayed there is no theft of personal data or virus infection. When closing the navigation, in fact, the computer continues working normally ”. In short, don’t panic and DO NOT call the indicated number. Otherwise, “the computer is made available to the scammer through remote assistance that allows him, in this way, to install illegal programs and viruses.” At this point the scammers will ask you one hundred euros for the fake unlocking of the computer.

Therefore, all you have to do is close your browser (the program you are browsing with, to be more clear) and ignore the message. Yes though warnings of this kind are constantly repeated, it is advisable to scan with a good antivirus program.