01 - Neighborhood Crime Alert

Internet Fraud Alert – On Friday, August 16, 2013, at 12:51 p.m., a resident of Forked River reported that on Thursday, August 15th, 2013, he observed that his home computer was locked (frozen) with an unusual message across the monitor. The message stated, “Prism Computer Prosecution Section” and underneath that it stated, “Your computer has been locked due to suspicion of illegal content downloading and distribution.” The message also indicated that the matter could be “resolved” without issue if he paid a fine of $300. The message stated that he should pay the $300.00 utilizing “Moneypak”, and that he could purchase the voucher elsewhere and then enter the bar code into the computer message to unlock it. The complainant contacted his Internet provider and learned that the incident was actually a recent computer virus going around and was not legitimate. The Lacey Township Police Department is providing this notice to warn residents not to fall prey to this Internet scam.