Is your computer locked by Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) Virus? Is it real or just a virus designed to rip you off? Do you really need to pay $100 AUD to unlock your computer? Actually this is a virus that can lock your whole screen stating you have violated some illegal events, then it tells you have to pay a fine within 48 hours to get it unlocked. Don’t be taken in this hoax. Please follow the manual removal guide below to get rid of this virus step by step.
Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) Virus is the upgrade version of the infamous AFP Virus which is able to get into a compromised computer by clicking malicious code or distribute unsafe advertising pop-ups, visiting pornographic website or downloading attachment from spam emails. This virus has nothing to do with Australian Communications and Media Authority or AFP Crime Commision(ACC) and Royal Australian Corps of Military Police. It is just a tricky virus used to scare unwary PC users and cheat them into paying a non-existent fine so that the virus makers can easily earn money from the victims.
When this virus attacks the PC, you will find the whole desktop gets locked. It blocks you from accessing desktop, Task manager etc. The only thing you can see on the screen is a fake warning that says you have violated laws and thus computer is locked up as a punishment. A fine is requested in the page in order to unlock your computer and get your out of any further troubles. Of course it is not true because the real Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) won’t punish one by using such mean method like locking your computer. Besides, it asks payment through Ukash which is a prepaid card, in that case, victims cannot trace the money and have no way to get their money back until they find out it is a scam.
ACMA virus targets PC users located in the Australia and will only infect computers that are running Windows based operating systems. Once it is running, it takes over your screen, you cannot close it or minimize the virus page. The only thing you are able to do is to press power button and shut it down. However, once you turn it on, ACMA virus pops up immediately, continually to take over your screen. It refuses to give you access unless you pay $100 AUD via Ukash first. Actually paying a fine is not a wise decision to solve this issue because it is a scam, even though you have paid, computer will still be locked forever. To completely get your PC unlocked, you should remove ACMA virus manually without any hesitation.
Notice: Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) Virus will ask users to pay a fine of $100 AUD in 48 hours to cover the violations. However, even if you have paid the fine, computer will still be locked and this virus will still be there making chaos as well. You will find no code is available to unlock your computer because the real law institutions would never contact you to make any payments like this way.
A: Even if Australian Communications and Media Authority Scam seems to be real, but you must know it is a virus and don’t be taken in. All the information it shows is fake. What you can do is to remove it as soon as possible before it destroys your computer and steals your information. And please be assured that you will never be sent to the jail because of this fake warning. Considering this is a terrible virus, it is highly recommended users to follow the manual instruction to unlock your computer step by step.
Since the virus can block your antivirus programs to stop them from running even lock your PC entirely, under such circumstance, manual removal is required to handle with the virus. This manual removal guide is for advanced computer users to follow. If you are not 100% confident of what you will have to do, it’s suggested to get help from experts.
Please do a system backup before you start to delete Australian Communications and Media Authority virus manually.
1. Restart your PC before windows launches, tap “F8” constantly. Choose“Safe Mode with Networking” option, and then press Enter key.
2. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del keys together and stop the Ransomware processes in the Windows Task Manager.
Random.exe (The name of the virus process may be different all the time)
(If you can’t figure out the process of the virus, you can end the process called explorer.exe first so that virus won’t come up)
3. Delete associated files from your PC completely as follows:
%Temp%\[RANDOM CHARACTERS].exe
C:\Documents and Settings\<Current User>
C:\Users\<Current User>\AppData\
4. Search for all related registry entries infected by this dangerous virus and wipe them out:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System “DisableTaskMgr” = 0
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\random
5. Reboot the computer to normal mode when the above steps are done.
In conclusion:
Computer users could be infected by Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) virus when they are visiting online pornographic content or web sites, downloading unfamiliar programs or sharing files with a USB stick. Once inside, it display a bogus message to freeze your screen which blames victims for being involved in illegal activities, downloading copyrighted material and viewing pornography. Because of this message, a large amount of victims are scared to death because no one want to be caught by the police and go to jail. Then they pay for the fine thinking this can help to correct all the violation and avoid any troubles. Unfortunately, reality probably won’t support your fantasy always, once they pay for the fine, they will realize this is a big scam because the computer is still locked after payment is sent. Now there are plenty of other similar Ransomware based on the same methods infecting computers all over the world such as FBI Department of Defense Virus, PCeU Virus etc. They play the same trick by locking one’s computer and asking for a ransom. Don’t pay anything or provide any personal information regarding to this hoax or it may result in money loss and even identify theft.
Note: Manual removal is a skillful and risky job, if any mistakes are made in the process, you may damage your computer immediately. If you are not sure how to do, please contact YooCare PC experts 24/7 online for help right now.
Published by & last updated on January 13, 2014 4:42 pm
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