The United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) has warned of multiple malware campaigns impersonating multiple U.S. government agencies, including the United States Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Once installed on a system, the malware displays a screen claiming that a Federal Government agency has identified the user’s computer as being associated with one or more crimes. The user is told to pay a fine to regain the use of the computer, usually through prepaid money card services.

Affected users should not follow the payment instructions. Instead, the computer should be scanned for malware with an appropriate antivirus program, and then measures taken to avoid the infection from re-occurring.