If your computer is locked, and you are seeing a “
Your computer has
been blocked” notification from a law enforcement agency (FBI,
Australian Federal Police, Metropolitan Police, U.S. Department of Justice)
asking you to pay a fine via GreenDot MoneyPak, Ukash or Paysafecard code, then
your computer is infected with a piece of malware known as Trojan
Reveton.
![FBI Moneypak virus [Image: FBI Moneypak virus]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_v29F0P_octYOZJUt2xR1IhFlrG1uZQiC_-kQ2pXqy0zcBOGtR7JdzvPg44_Iwf5cAIRwJd-KmssklrJlHWJFsUNSsM8n2CuLsGhSN1Tlz-Id1BYr-otcWoN_3tbZVkd7Ury7u6-TOY5E_P8RRGKNA-jRNIRnXD=s0-d)
The Police Ukash or Moneypak virus is distributed
through several means. Malicious websites, or legitimate websites that have been
hacked, can infect your machine through exploit kits that use vulnerabilities on
your computer to install this trojan without your permission of
knowledge.
Another method used to propagate this type of malware is spam
email containing infected attachments or links to malicious websites.
Cybercriminals spam out an email, with forged header information, tricking you
into believing that it is from a shipping company like DHL or FedEx. The email
tells you that they tried to deliver a package to you, but failed for some
reason. Sometimes the emails claim to be notifications of a shipment you have
made. Either way, you can’t resist being curious as to what the email is
referring to – and open the attached file (or click on a link embedded inside
the email). And with that, your computer is infected with the Police Ukash or
Moneypak virus.
The threat may also be downloaded manually by tricking the
user into thinking they are installing a useful piece of software, for instance
a bogus update for Adobe Flash Player or another piece of software.
The
Police Ukash or Moneypak virus is also prevalent on peer-to-peer file sharing
websites and is often packaged with pirated or illegally acquired software.
Once installed on your computer, the Police Ukash or Moneypak virus will
display a
bogus notification that pretends to be from
an official law enforcement agency (examples: Irish An Garda
Síochána, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Police Central e-crime Unit) and states
that your computer has been blocked due to it being involved with the
distribution of pornographic material, SPAM and copyrighted content.
The
Police Ukash or Moneypak virus will lock you out of your computer
and applications, so whenever you’ll try to log on into your Windows
operating system or Safe Mode with Networking, it will display instead a lock
screen asking you to pay
a non-existing fine of in the form of
a Moneypak, Ukash or Paysafecard voucher.
Furthermore, to make this alert
seem more authentic,
this virus also has the ability to access your
installed webcam, so that the bogus Police Ukash or
Moneypak notification shows what is happening in the room.
The Police Ukash or Moneypak virus locks the computer and depending on the
user’s current location, displays a localized webpage that covers the entire
desktop of the infected computer and demands payment for the supposed possession
of illicit material.
Cyber
criminals often updated the design of this lock screen, however you should
always keep in mind that
Police Ukash or Moneypak will never
lock down your computer or monitor your online activities.
The message displayed by the threat can be localized depending on the user’s
location, with text written in the appropriate language.
The
Police
Ukash or Moneypak lock screen is a scam, and you should ignore any
alerts that this malicious software might generate.
Under no
circumstance should you send any Greendot Moneypak, Paysafecard or Ukash code to
these cyber criminals, and if you have, you can should request a
refund, stating that you are the victim of a computer virus and scam.
Remove any Police Ukash,MoneyPak or PaySafecard
virus
If you are using an
Apple Mac OS X machine, then you will
need to follow our
Remove
“Your Browser Has Been Blocked Up” from Apple Mac OS X removal
guide.
If you are using an
Android phone, then you will need
to follow our
Remove
Police or FBI virus from Android phone (Removal Guide).
OPTION 1: Remove Police Ukash or Moneypak lock screen virus with
System Restore
System Restore helps you restore your computer’s system files to an earlier
point in time. It’s a way to undo system changes to your computer without
affecting your personal files, such as e‑mail, documents, or photos.
Because
the Police Ukash or Moneypak virus will not allow you to start the computer in
Windows regular mode, we will need to start System Restore from the
Safe
Mode with Command Prompt mode.
STEP 1: Restore Windows to a previous state using System Restore
- Reboot your computer into Safe Mode with Command Prompt. To do this, turn
your computer off and then back on and immediately when you see anything on the
screen, start tapping the F8 key on your keyboard.
![Windows F8 key [Image: F8 key]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_u2qSM8Eu_CCSdhBoJHghN-kCLDgI88omdoFX6VXu2DcxJUWbCprqs04HnCqgl92ghkTCrxs6FeXxEl0PWESgiH61cdaghTkYnbLsnvIX-vA-JmDmqlBAofDiHUJsTBVL8IF0qq9hIdZg=s0-d)
If you are using Windows 8, the trick is to hold the
Shift button and gently tap the F8 key
repeatedly, this will sometimes boot you into the new advanced
“recovery mode”, where you can choose to see advanced repair options. On the
next screen, you will need to click on the Troubleshoot option,
then select Advanced Options and select Windows Startup
Settings. Click on the Restart button, and you should now be able to
see the Advanced Boot Options screen.
- Using the arrow keys on your keyboard, select Safe Mode with Command
Prompt and press Enter on your keyboard.
- At the command prompt, type rstrui.exe, and then press
ENTER.
![rstrui.exe command in Safe Mode with Command Prompt [Image: Start System Restore to remove lock screen virus]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vJPUuHb68bRWT0MKZSH_InGc-JyjHHfFl_-7c2_vYdiZXKpZFFG19jwid4ReMcTZyD0AdAngNC3Akr3Pwm56j7kSRoKjrlAlk_NrXghFF2x3I0DKGRhRJ4vsAAICWWHP_QhVhG5xjLoBv2DQiXqX2pN0B4Ve0=s0-d)
Alternatively, if you are using Windows Vista, 7 and 8,
you can type: C:\windows\system32\rstrui.exe , and
press Enter. And if you are a Windows XP user, type
C:\windows\system32\restore\rstrui.exe, then press
Enter.
- System Restore should start, and you will display also a list of restore
points. Try using a restore point created just before the date and time the
Police Ukash or Moneypak lock screen virus has infected your computer.
- When System Restore has completed its task, start your computer in Windows
regular mode, and perform a scan with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and HitmanPro,
as seen in the next step.
STEP 2: Remove Police Ukash or Moneypak malicious files with Malwarebytes
Anti-Malware Free
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free uses industry-leading technology to detect and
remove all traces of malware, including worms, Trojans, rootkits, rogues,
dialers, spyware, and more.
It is important to note that Malwarebytes
Anti-Malware works well and should run alongside antivirus software without
conflicts.
- You can download download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware from
the below link.
MALWAREBYTES ANTI-MALWARE DOWNLOAD LINK (This
link will open a new web page from where you can download Malwarebytes
Anti-Malware Free)
- Once downloaded, close all programs, then double-click on the icon on your
desktop named “mbam-setup-consumer-2.00.xx” to start the installation
of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware.
![Malwarebytes Anti-Malware setup program [Image: Malwarebytes Anti-Malware setup program]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vsuYMtYMBefKdFYy-WQ0Qtx5rb8BkHJa-0dhE86wyujP-1l1Me3LNYbQCJi56AF9r3VE1OtRat2hvwTdSZmWkMrqCoJrvTi7f7HDsawPsunBvoimexw9Hq8R5fuI2EYT2PN2Qn4TPb-CF0T13imJnhymUZd2y_z8h3QZrtOAk=s0-d)
You may be presented with a User Account Control dialog
asking you if you want to run this file. If this happens, you should click
“Yes” to continue with the installation.
- When the installation begins, you will see the Malwarebytes Anti-Malware
Setup Wizard which will guide you through the installation process.
![Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Setup Wizard [Image: Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Setup Wizard]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tgzuQggCHsBEyhlIcmZGIxoXF98poe8-plU-op4zB5VQdPGtKDjHx41PBPpHaHSnCqsycABAUO417xk-XZztMIezY4-qZSr2HqV-64dC5CdABnxZUWRljFw0Luxu1C5pNoKXTsHlFjsHyc4f5SFRnSUyi403QtcYB8kc4KcAGZha9nL81RVxnbXg=s0-d)
To install Malwarebytes Anti-Malware on your machine,
keep following the prompts by clicking the “Next”
button.
- Once installed, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will automatically start and you
will see a message stating that you should update the program, and that a scan
has never been run on your system. To start a system scan you can click on the
“Fix Now” button.
![[Image: Click on the Fix Now button to start a scan]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tH8_sDcVHOXlWWPXLhiWUX-_ZOWsU-t6shOBWqp-b8yQ5OlAMeOle0jNhi095UbM8_ufKXEEHcBVJNV1m6-6BjN9G0jDL3J-6NFTbaW7B7pctumh0l0ZzyA-nvLogd91CM_T7qcvQzEGYXLnnHxn4mnCzToGNTUc-EELhB4gin=s0-d)
Alternatively, you can click on the
“Scan” tab and select “Threat Scan“, then click on the
“Scan Now” button.
- Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will now check for updates, and if there are any,
you will need to click on the “Update Now” button.
- Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will now start scanning your computer for the
pop-up virus. When Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is scanning it will look like the
image below.
- When the scan has completed, you will now be presented with a screen showing
you the malware infections that Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware has detected. To
remove the malicious programs that Malwarebytes Anti-malware has found, click on
the “Quarantine All” button, and then click on the
“Apply Now” button.
![Remove the malware that Malwarebytes Anti-Malware has detected [Image: Remove the malware that Malwarebytes Anti-Malware has found]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_t2djfg69rmcHa0QVvCmotad-cqVr35i2dfIXJOwklMH8HlbK8wwGNuxQPDxpOqnM2KlbFOnpN8H2AqWDGovjBH5hpM5VDBka0MG9CBXxsttTcpqizT0PPTR1-Thznj7YCcJ6sekF3yE00HbqA90EGmf6ktKg9QWExS9c08wafesWmpjeWCGckj8mEBIv7DYdH0Og=s0-d)
Please note that the infections found may be different
than what is shown in the image.
- Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will now quarantine all the malicious files and
registry keys that it has found. When removing the files, Malwarebytes
Anti-Malware may require a reboot in order to remove some of them. If it
displays a message stating that it needs to reboot your computer, please allow
it to do so.
![Malwarebytes Anti-Malware asking to reboot your computer [Image: Malwarebytes Anti-Malware while removing viruses]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_sePMZpHZp8C_Ghybs37An_Z62r5S6E2ta8lj7W-NhXiVSO-Os5xlUqpa18u-x0BIf2a4-VJYGvSBIYPLhEomGAkKtNPHvnd7XFfXuQE_B9kLdLAeAWKQaw-n3KCmsVIduCaihvZ1dDqdGY7Gy7C8twlIYn0OxeQ1SQmd8l3obyFNwIi-v2=s0-d)
After your computer will restart, you should open
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and perform another “Threat Scan” scan to verify that
there are no remaining threats
STEP 3: Double-check for the Police Ukash or Moneypak virus with
HitmanPro
HitmanPro is a second opinion scanner, designed to rescue your computer from
malware (viruses, trojans, rootkits, etc.) that have infected your computer
despite all the security measures you have taken (such as anti virus software,
firewalls, etc.). HitmanPro is designed to work alongside existing security
programs without any conflicts. It scans the computer quickly (less than 5
minutes) and does not slow down the computer.
- You can download HitmanPro from the below link:
HITMANPRO DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will
open a new web page from where you can download HitmanPro)
- Double-click on the file named “HitmanPro.exe” (for 32-bit
versions of Windows) or “HitmanPro_x64.exe” (for 64-bit
versions of Windows). When the program starts you will be presented with the
start screen as shown below.
![HitmanPro startup screen (Click Next) [Image: HitmanPro start-up screen]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_sCAMgQIDXzz-Bog6DRECJFSYL357eagAk1b8Ev1uqPQOkH8lfeDNZkxal52PfLkgo4qS29o_57tm_EQ7Vc3VfnH-aYOkdFw3usH2oW0qjDI47v0R-4B5Nog4unx6Cuo5UxcpWAi2HTkUQwMTCD13Te=s0-d)
Click on the “Next” button, to install
HitmanPro on your computer.
- HitmanPro will now begin to scan your computer for any malicious files that
may be on your machine.
- When it has finished it will display a list of all the malware that the
program found as shown in the image below. Click on the “Next”
button, to remove any virus that has been found.
- Click on the “Activate free license” button to begin the
free 30 days trial, and remove all the malicious files from
your computer.
OPTION 2: Remove Police Ukash or Moneypak virus with with
HitmanPro Kickstart
If you cannot start your computer into
Safe Mode with Command Prompt
mode, we can use the
HitmanPro Kickstart program to bypass
Police Ukash or Moneypak lock screen.
As the Police Ukash or Moneypak
ransomware infection locks you out of your computer, you will need to create a
bootable USB drive that contains the HitmanPro Kickstart program.
We will
then boot your computer using this bootable USB drive and use it to clean the
infection so that you are able to access Windows normally again.
You will
also need a USB drive,
which will have all of its data erased and will
then be formatted. Therefore, only use a USB drive that does not
contain any important data.
- Using a “clean” (non-infected) computer, please download HitmanPro
Kickstart from the below link.
HITMANPRO DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will
open a download page in a new web page from where you can download HitmanPro
Kickstart)
- Once HitmanPro has been downloaded, please insert the USB flash
drive that you would like to erase and use for the installation of
HitmanPro Kickstart. Then double-click on the file named
HitmanPro.exe (for 32-bit versions of Windows) or
HitmanPro_x64.exe (for 64-bit versions of Windows).
To
create a bootable HitmanPro USB drive, please follow the instructions from this
video:
- Now, remove the HitmanPro Kickstart USB drive and
insert it into the Police Ukash or Moneypak infected computer.
- Once you have inserted the HitmanPro Kickstart USB drive, turn off the
infected computer and then turn it on. As soon as you power it on, look for text
on the screen that tells you how to access the boot menu.
![Windows Boot Menu screens [Image: Windows Boot Menu screens]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_s1ZK5psEPY3dpUHOdH4oFqU2MP57CXe0xis7YO-MriiD4-dhSqvyNs8sF_z9VxRCGV-pULGTZPenPnXOITasz3E9uhsYkUJ6zegKbzuhnOrrQvAP9HiV9Vd0P-DLhrAYGbLsznWe97ZIk7Gqhlkg14J0PS=s0-d)
The keys that are commonly associated with enabling the
boot menu are F10, F11 or
F12.
- Once you determine the proper key (usually the F11 key)
that you need to press to access the Boot Menu, restart your computer again and
start immediately tapping that key. Next, please perform a scan with HitmanPro
Kickstart as shown in the video below.
- HitmanPro will now reboot your computer and Windows should start normally.
Then please Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and HitmanPro, and scan your computer for any
left over infections.
OPTION 3: Remove Police Ukash or Moneypak virus with Kaspersky
Rescue Disk
If any of the above methods did not clean your infected computer, we can use
a
Kaspersky Rescue Disk Bootable to clean the Windows registry
and to perform a system scan to remove the Police Ukash or Moneypak virus.
To
create a bootable Kaspersky Rescue Disk, we will need the following items:
- A clean (non-infected) computer with Internet access
- A blank DVD or CD
- A computer with a DVD or CD burner
STEP 1: Download and create a bootable Kaspersky Rescue Disk CD
- You can download Kaspersky Rescue Disk utility from link
below:
KASPERSKY RESCUE DISK DOWNLOAD LINK
(This link will automatically download Kaspersky Rescue Disk
(kav_rescue_10.iso) on your computer.)
- To create the bootable rescue disk, we will need to use the
ImgBurn program. You can download ImgBurn from
the below link, then install this program.
IMGBURN DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will open
a new page from where you can download the ImgBurn program)
- Insert your blank DVD or CD in your burner, then start ImgBurn and click on
the Write image file to disc button.
- Under Source click on the Browse for file
button, then navigate to the location where you previously saved the Kaspersky
Rescue Disk utility (kav_rescue_10.iso), then click on the
Write button.
![Creating Kaspersky Rescue Disk bootable CD [Image: Bootable Kaspersky Rescue CD]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_utOx59WdvR5LKHvHUAOAjeU5yEd5TFzfW7Z_0yy9O9Yi2p571jxupKKK7wXDObrZNQLFFu813_Z8I4FhogljJNxNCQQaURl5SXalXL66J192h8ZH9fXs6mkejUcW12VWpaMox8l6Ar3OtDC-Kq0xKkSFbcWHWrVMOz9tSD22alZDTZuBngcw=s0-d)
That’s it, ImgBurn will now begin writing your bootable
Kaspersky Rescue Disk.
STEP 2: Start your computer using the Kaspersky Rescue Disk
- Once you’ve got the Kasperky Rescue Disk in hand, insert it into the
infected computer, and turn off and then turn it on again.
- As soon as you power it on, you will see a screen that tells you to
press any key to enter the menu, so please tap any key to boot your
machine from the Kaspersky Rescue Disk.
- In the next screen, you will need to chose a language, then you click on
Kaspersky Rescue Disk. Graphic Mode and press
ENTER, to start the Kaspersky Rescue Disk.
STEP 3: Scan your system with Kaspersky Rescue Disk
- Within a few short seconds you should see the full working environment, with
the Kaspersky Rescue Disk screen front and center as shown below.
- Switch tabs over to the My Update Center, and then click
the Start update button to load the latest anti-virus
definitions. Please be patience while this process its completed.
- Switch back over to the Objects Scan tab, select the drives
you want to scan, and then click the Start Objects Scan
button.
- When Kaspersky Antivirus will detect the Police Ukash or Moneypak virus,
you’ll be prompted to select an action. When this happens, please select
Quarantine or Delete to remove this infection
from your computer.
- When the antivirus scan has completed, you can restart back into Windows
regular mode, by clicking on the Kaspersky Start button
(lower left corner), and selecting
Restart.
Once your computer will start in Windows regular
more, download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and HitmanPro, and scan your computer for any
left over infections.
Your computer should now be free of the Police Ukash or Moneypak infection.
If your current anti-virus solution let this infection through, you may want to
consider purchasing
the PRO version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware to protect against these
types of threats in the future, and perform regular computer scans with
HitmanPro.
If you are still experiencing problems while trying to remove
Police Ukash or Moneypak virus from your machine, please start a new thread in
our
Malware Removal Assistance forum.