Emails with links from scammers can easily be disguised to look like they’re from a friend. — Getty Images
Ransomware. It begins when you open a malicious attachment, click on a link in a scammer’s email or instant message, or visit scammer websites that promise such things as enticing videos or free prizes. Ransomware locks your computer, usually displaying a screen message that appears to be from a law enforcement agency. Pay us, you’re told, and you’ll get back control of your computer.
Once considered a niche scam, ransomware attacks exploded in 2012, hitting some 70,000 computers per month. About 3 percent of victims pay the ransom fee — thanks, in part, to cyber-criminals increasingly using online payment methods to collect, says cyber-security firm Symantec, which recently published a detailed report on this ruse. “In 2013, attackers will use more professional ransom screens, up the emotional stakes to motivate their victims, and use methods that make it harder to recover once compromised,” predicts Symantec’s Kevin Haley.