Should my friend be worried?

[Chris T. B.]

A good friend of mine was on her computer, watching porn, and a notice came up that said this porn is illegal and you could be fined up to $100,000, with an FBI case, if she didn't pay $300 within the next 24 hours. When she first told me, I told her it was just a scam and that she should disregard it. Then she sent me a picture of what the notice looked like, and it looked pretty legit. Is this a scam, or is it real? Again, basically a summary of what the notice said was that this porn illegal and if she did not pay $300 within the next 24 hours, she would be under an FBI investigation. Scam or real?

[Kiana]

No worries its probably just a scam.

[Chris]

Its a scam. The FBI has no authority to just hand out fines. One would have to be tried and convicted in front of a judge for that.

[A person]

It's a scam and a virus so don't click on it.

[Kittysue]

It's a nasty virus called Ransomware
She needs to download and run Malwarebytesnd stop visiting dodgey porn sites. This is a nasty virus that can really mess up your computer if not removed immediately
The FBI does not fine people or use pop ups. The FBI only investigates the sharing of child pornography and they certainly don't let perverts know they are being watched. If she were being watched by the FBI they would have shown up at her door at 5am with a warrant to arrest her and confiscate every Internet enabled device in the house