Soca issued a statement alerting web users to the scam, saying that the agency will never request money from the general public.
"SOCA is aware that its name and brand have been used by criminals attempting to defraud members of the public. Computer users find that their screens are locked, and at the same time they receive a message purporting to be from Soca which states that their computer screen will only be unlocked if they pay a fine," read the statement.
"In reality, the computer has been infected with malicious software (malware), disseminated by cyber criminals for financial gain. Soca will never contact members of the public and demand money in this way. Anyone contacted in this manner should never pay any money, and should seek immediate advice on removing the malware from reputable computer specialists."
Soca said the ramsonware is one of many active scams that masquerade as legitimate warnings from law enforcement agencies. "Similar versions of the malware, often claiming to be from other law enforcement bodies or private companies, are also in circulation. Anyone who thinks they have fallen victim to this, or any other form of fraud, are advised to report it to Action Fraud."
Prior to the warning a ransomware pretending to stem from the US FBI appeared targeting Mac OSX users. Earlier still a separate scam displayed messages claiming to come from London's Metropolitan Police.
Security experts have said the marked increase in ransomware is due to the its high success rate, with security vendor Symantec claiming the scams are earning criminals as much as $33,000 per day at the end of 2012. Despite their high success rate, law enforcement has had some success taking down the ransomware criminal rings. In February Spanish police reported taking down the criminal gang behind the infamous Reveton ransomware.
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