Removal guide Ransomware

Remove Department of Justice virus (MoneyPak Scam)

By Stelian9 min read

The United States Department of Justice MoneyPak Ransom is a computer virus, which will display a bogus notification, that pretends to be from Department of Justice and states that your computer has been blocked due to it being involved with the distribution of pornographic material, SPAM and copyrighted content.
The United States Department of Justice virus will lock you out of your computer and applications, so whenever you’ll try to log on into your Windows operating system or Safe Mode with Networking, it will display instead a lock screen asking you to pay $300 in the form of a MoneyPak code.
Furthermore, to make its alert seem more authentic, this virus also has the ability to access your installed webcam ,so that the bogus The United States Department of Justice shows what is happening in the room.
If your computer is infected with The United States Department of Justice virus,then you are seeing the below notification:
The United States Department of Justice MoneyPak virus

The United States Department of Justice Ransom will display the following bogus notification:

Your computer has been blocked
The work of your computer has been suspended on the grounds of the violation of the law of the United States of America.

Article 274 – Copyright
A fine or imprisonment for the term of up to 4 years. (The use or shanng of copyrighted files-movies, software)
Article 183 – Pornography
A fine or imprisonment for the term of up to 2 years (The use or distribution of pornographic Nes)
Article 184- Pornography involving children (under 18 years)
Imprisonment for the term of up to 15 years (The use or distribution of pornographic files)
Article 104- Promoting Terrorism
Imprisonment for the term of up to 15 years (You have visited websites of terrorist organization)
Article 297 – Neglect computer use, entailing serious consequences
A fine or imprisonment for the term of up to 2 years (Your computer has been infected with a virus, which, in turn, Infected other computers)
In connection with the decision of the Government as of August 12, all of the violations described above could be considered as conditional in case of payment of a fine.
Amount of the fine is $200. Payment must be made within 24 hours after the discovery of the violation. If the fine has not been paid, you will become the subject of criminal prosecution.
After paying the fine your computer will be unblocked

The The United States Department of Justice Ransom is a scam and you should ignore any alert that this malicious software might generate and remove this trojan ransomware from your computer.
Under no circumstance should you send any money to this cyber criminals,as this could lead to identity theft,and if you have, you should contact your credit card company and dispute the charge stating that the program is a scam and a computer virus.

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The United States Department of Justice MoneyPak Ransomware – Virus Removal Guide

This page is a comprehensive guide, which will remove the Department of Justice infection from your your computer. Please perform all the steps in the correct order. If you have any questions or doubt at any point STOP and ask for our assistance.
The Department of Justice will start automatically when you login to your computer and display its screen locker so that you are unable to access your computer, therefore we will need to remove this infection by using one of the below methods:
OPTION 1: Remove Department of Justice lock screen virus with System Restore
OPTION 2: Remove Department of Justice virus with with HitmanPro Kickstart
OPTION 3: Remove Department of Justice virus with Kaspersky Rescue Disk

OPTION 1: Remove Department of Justice lock screen virus with System Restore

System Restore helps you restore your computer’s system files to an earlier point in time. It’s a way to undo system changes to your computer without affecting your personal files, such as e‑mail, documents, or photos.
Because the Department of Justice virus will not allow you to start the computer in Windows regular mode, we will need to start System Restore from the Safe Mode with Command Prompt mode.

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STEP 1: Restore Windows to a previous state using System Restore

  1. Reboot your computer into Safe Mode with Command Prompt. To do this, turn your computer off and then back on and immediately when you see anything on the screen, start tapping the F8 key on your keyboard.
    [Image: F8 key]
    If you are using Windows 8, the trick is to hold the Shift button and gently tap the F8 key repeatedly, this will sometimes boot you into the new advanced “recovery mode”, where you can choose to see advanced repair options. On the next screen, you will need to click on the Troubleshoot option, then select Advanced Options and select Windows Startup Settings. Click on the Restart button, and you should now be able to see the Advanced Boot Options screen.
  2. Using the arrow keys on your keyboard, select Safe Mode with Command Prompt and press Enter on your keyboard.
    [Image: Starting computer in Safe Mode with Command Prompt]
  3. At the command prompt, type rstrui.exe, and then press ENTER.
    [Image: Start System Restore to remove lock screen virus]
    Alternatively, if you are using Windows Vista, 7 and 8, you can type: C:\windows\system32\rstrui.exe , and press Enter. And if you are a Windows XP user, type C:\windows\system32\restore\rstrui.exe, then press Enter.
  4. System Restore should start, and you will display also a list of restore points. Try using a restore point created just before the date and time the Department of Justice lock screen virus has infected your computer.
    [Image: Restore settings to remove ransomware]
  5. When System Restore has completed its task, start your computer in Windows regular mode, and perform a scan with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and HitmanPro, as seen in the next step.

STEP 2: Remove Department of Justice malicious files with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free

Even after using System Restore,

  1. You can download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free from the below link, then double-click on the icon named mbam-setup.exe to install this program.
    Download MalwarebytesFree official installer. Your download starts right away.
  2. When the installation begins, keep following the prompts in order to continue with the setup process, then at the last screen click on the Finish button.
    [Image: Malwarebytes Anti-Malware final installation screen]
  3. On the Scanner tab, select Perform quick scan, and then click on the Scan button to start searching for the Department of Justice malicious files.
    [Image: Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Quick Scan]
  4. Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware will now start scanning your computer for Department of Justice virus as shown below.
    [Image: Malwarebytes Anti-Malware scanning for Department of Justice
  5. When the Malwarebytes Anti-Malware scan has finished, click on the Show Results button.
    [Image: Malwarebytes Anti-Malware scan results]
  6. You will now be presented with a screen showing you the computer infections that Malwarebytes Anti-Malware has detected. Make sure that everything is Checked (ticked), then click on the Remove Selected button.
    [Image: Malwarebytes Anti-Malwar removing Department of Justice virus]

STEP 3: Double-check for the Department of Justice virus with HitmanPro

  1. You can download HitmanPro from the below link:
    Download HitmanProOfficial Sophos download. Free scan, free 30-day trial to remove threats.
  2. Double-click on the file named HitmanPro.exe (for 32-bit versions of Windows) or HitmanPro_x64.exe (for 64-bit versions of Windows). When the program starts you will be presented with the start screen as shown below.
    HitmanPro scanner
    Click on the Next button, to install HitmanPro on your computer.
    HitmanPro installation
  3. HitmanPro will now begin to scan your computer for Department of Justice malicious files.
    HitmanPro detecting for Department of Justice virus
  4. When it has finished it will display a list of all the malware that the program found as shown in the image below. Click on the Next button, to remove Department of Justice virus.
    HitmanPro scan results
  5. Click on the Activate free license button to begin the free 30 days trial, and remove all the malicious files from your computer.
    [Image: HitmanPro 30 days activation button]

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OPTION 2: Remove Department of Justice virus with with HitmanPro Kickstart

If you cannot start your computer into Safe Mode with Command Prompt mode, we can use the HitmanPro Kickstart program to bypass Department of Justice lock screen.
As the Department of Justice ransomware infection locks you out of your computer, you will need to create a bootable USB drive that contains the HitmanPro Kickstart program.
We will then boot your computer using this bootable USB drive and use it to clean the infection so that you are able to access Windows normally again.
You will also need a USB drive, which will have all of its data erased and will then be formatted. Therefore, only use a USB drive that does not contain any important data.

  1. Using a “clean” (non-infected) computer, please download HitmanPro Kickstart from the below link.
    Download HitmanProOfficial Sophos download. Free scan, free 30-day trial to remove threats.
  2. Once HitmanPro has been downloaded, please insert the USB flash drive that you would like to erase and use for the installation of HitmanPro Kickstart. Then double-click on the file named HitmanPro.exe (for 32-bit versions of Windows) or HitmanPro_x64.exe (for 64-bit versions of Windows).
    To create a bootable HitmanPro USB drive, please follow the instructions from this video:
  3. Now, remove the HitmanPro Kickstart USB drive and insert it into the Department of Justice infected computer.
  4. Once you have inserted the HitmanPro Kickstart USB drive, turn off the infected computer and then turn it on. As soon as you power it on, look for text on the screen that tells you how to access the boot menu.
    [Image: Windows Boot Menu screens]
    The keys that are commonly associated with enabling the boot menu are F10, F11 or F12.
  5. Once you determine the proper key (usually the F11 key) that you need to press to access the Boot Menu, restart your computer again and start immediately tapping that key. Next, please perform a scan with HitmanPro Kickstart as shown in the video below.
  6. HitmanPro will now reboot your computer and Windows should start normally. Then please Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and HitmanPro, and scan your computer for any left over infections.

OPTION 3: Remove Department of Justice virus with Kaspersky Rescue Disk

If any of the above methods did not clean your infected computer, we can use a Kaspersky Rescue Disk Bootable to clean the Windows registry and to perform a system scan to remove the Department of Justice virus.
To create a bootable Kaspersky Rescue Disk, we will need the following items:

  • A clean (non-infected) computer with Internet access
  • A blank DVD or CD
  • A computer with a DVD or CD burner

STEP 1: Download and create a bootable Kaspersky Rescue Disk CD

  1. You can download Kaspersky Rescue Disk utility from link below:
    Download Kaspersky Rescue DiskOpens the download page in a new tab.
  2. To create the bootable rescue disk, we will need to use the ImgBurn program. You can download ImgBurn from the below link, then install this program.
    Download ImgBurnOpens the download page in a new tab.
  3. Insert your blank DVD or CD in your burner, then start ImgBurn and click on the Write image file to disc button.
  4. Under Source click on the Browse for file button, then navigate to the location where you previously saved the Kaspersky Rescue Disk utility (kav_rescue_10.iso), then click on the Write button.
    [Image: Bootable Kaspersky Rescue CD]
    That’s it, ImgBurn will now begin writing your bootable Kaspersky Rescue Disk.

STEP 2: Start your computer using the Kaspersky Rescue Disk

  1. Once you’ve got the Kasperky Rescue Disk in hand, insert it into the infected computer, and turn off and then turn it on again.
  2. As soon as you power it on, you will see a screen that tells you to press any key to enter the menu, so please tap any key to boot your machine from the Kaspersky Rescue Disk.
    [Image: Starting infected computer from Kaspersky Rescue Disk]
  3. In the next screen, you will need to chose a language, then you click on Kaspersky Rescue Disk. Graphic Mode and press ENTER, to start the Kaspersky Rescue Disk.[Image: Kaspersky Rescue Disk Graphic Mode screen]
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STEP 3: Scan your system with Kaspersky Rescue Disk

  1. Within a few short seconds you should see the full working environment, with the Kaspersky Rescue Disk screen front and center as shown below.
    [Image: Kaspersky Rescue Disk scanner]
  2. Switch tabs over to the My Update Center, and then click the Start update button to load the latest anti-virus definitions. Please be patience while this process its completed.
    [Image: Updating Kaspersky Rescue Disk antivirus definitions]
  3. Switch back over to the Objects Scan tab, select the drives you want to scan, and then click the Start Objects Scan button.
    [Image: Kaspersky Rescue Disk scan]
  4. When Kaspersky Antivirus will detect the Department of Justice virus, you’ll be prompted to select an action. When this happens, please select Quarantine or Delete to remove this infection from your computer.
    [Image: Kaspersky Rescue Disk prompt]
  5. When the antivirus scan has completed, you can restart back into Windows regular mode, by clicking on the Kaspersky Start button [Image: Kaspersky Rescue Disk Restart button] (lower left corner), and selecting Restart.
    Once your computer will start in Windows regular more, download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and HitmanPro, and scan your computer for any left over infections.

Your computer should now be free of the Department of Justice infection. If your current anti-virus solution let this infection through, you may want to consider purchasing the PRO version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware to protect against these types of threats in the future, and perform regular computer scans with HitmanPro.
If you are still experiencing problems while trying to remove Department of Justice Moneypak virus from your machine, please start a new thread in our Malware Removal Assistance forum.

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Join the discussion

151 comments

Share your experience or ask a question about this article.

Discussion

  1. Jim

    Thanks for the awesome step by step process of eliminating this virus. I went through step 2 and malwarebyes ate this sh-t up so fast it was unbelievable. Great info and everything looked just like your screenshots. Thanks again.

    ReplyReport
  2. Jamie

    Thank you so much! People like you restore my faith in humanity!! You saved the day….

    ReplyReport
  3. Barbara C.

    Thanks so much! I really thought my computer was toast, but the easy to follow instructions helped me get rid of this nasty virus in less than 15 minutes!

    ReplyReport
  4. Dale

    Went to the Moneypak website in hopes of getting my 300 back,,keeps saying insufficient funds,account balance 0…so think i’m basically screwed out of the 300 bucks

    ReplyReport
  5. Patty

    I have tried using both command prompts .My computer starts off with C:\Documents and Settings\Owner> I get a pop up saying system restore has been turned off and cannot be turned on in safe mode. To turn on system restore, restart in normal mode and then run system restore.
    The msconfig gives me a response that it is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file. Is there another way the commands can be entered?

    ReplyReport
    1. Stelian PiliciTeam

      In reply to Patty

      Hellp Patty,
      Try to type: Start msconfig in the Command prompt if your using Windows Vista, 7 or 8.
      In Windows XP and Server 2003 type: C:\WINDOWS\PCHEALTH\HELPCTR\BINARIES\MSCONFIG
      And press Enter, MSCONFIG should load now, then just uncheck those malicious startup programs.

      Alternatively, you can type explorer.exe in the Command prompt, and transfer via a USB stick Malwarebytes to perform a scan.

      ReplyReport
      1. Dan

        In reply to Stelian Pilici

        I too had the problem where it wouldn’t give me a plain C prompt. I typed explorer.exe and it got me to a safe mode where I could get to the system restore. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!!!!!

        Report
  6. Ben

    Method 2 worked like a charm but when I ran Malwarebytes program it didn’t pick up anything. Could the virus have been eradicated by simply post dating the computer under this method? I’ truly a computer idiot and really thank you for this post.

    ReplyReport
  7. Sam

    Hey thank you for telling me to go to the Forms I found a way to clear the computer thanks to your advice, I’m using a rescue disk since nothing else was working thank you for the help

    ReplyReport
  8. DEREK

    You Guys are the F-ing BOMB ! Fan-F-ing-Tastic !

    Thank You SO Much , I had to go all the way to method 4 .
    The New version of the DOJ Trojan/Virus is not removable just with safe mode….methods

    For all of you out there Hitman kickstart is now probably your only choice !!!!

    I have an older computer so it may differ a little for you.
    When you bring up the F11 Boot menu on power up,( with the kick start flash in your USB), and tab arrow over to the boot priority tab, then arrow down to the hard drive/USB priority choice ,You will need to use the + or – key on your numbers key pad to change the priority .
    This took me a while to figure out.
    I was trying to use the + , – keys above the letters of my keyboard.
    Hope this helps…

    Lets all go kick the @#%&- out of the A-holes the launched this crap on all of us.

    ReplyReport
  9. Henry

    Hitman Kickstart is the SHIT!
    Got rid of this before but somehow this
    was was much harder.
    Thanks!

    ReplyReport
  10. Karl

    Thank you so much. Only used Method 1. I have Trend PC protection and it obviously did not block this new trojan worm. Shame on them.

    ReplyReport
  11. Rod C

    When my 18-yr old son told me that his computer was getting a weird message about paying $300, I took his laptop to Best Buy to use the $179.00 service plan I bought. I learned that that plan only covered HW related problems–not virus. The virus package was going to cost $200 more! On a $349.00 Computer! I was pissed. I told them ‘no thanks’, did some googling and found this site. Awesome! I used Method 1 and got into Safe Mode with Networking, loaded the Malware app, did the quick scan (about 20-25 minutes), re-booted, did the full scan (about an hour and 15 mins), rebooted — and everything works great!!! I told my son he can pay me the $200… Thanks for providing this site and the crystal clear instructions for non-geeks like me.

    ReplyReport
  12. Jorge

    I got the virus this morning and got me really worried. Unfotunely, I paid the $300, but then I thought of the possibility of being a scam, and found this website after searching info about the virus.
    I just want to say thank you so much for your help. I was able to unlock my computer in less than an hour using method 1 and using malwarebytes free edition. You are truly a great person to have the initiative to distribuite this information so well put together for everyone to understand. You sir, are a hero. Again, thank you and take care.

    ReplyReport
  13. ashley

    Husbands computer got this virus..he flipped paid the 300 bucks to moneypak and got the 24 hour notice. I got home and googled “DOJ virus” and found this awesome blog. Took me less than an hour to remove the virus using method #2. Ran both Malbytes and Hitman Pro as suggested. THANK YOU Stelian!!!

    ReplyReport
  14. jim M

    Have tried everything on the website today to get rid of dept of justice ransom and nothing is working. My computer is a little older 10 years I guess, and some of the command don’t come up the way they are explained on the site. Help?

    ReplyReport
    1. Stelian PiliciTeam

      In reply to jim M

      Hello Jim,
      Can you start your computer in Safe mode?If yes, boot your computer in Safe Mode with Command Prompt, and type msconfig in the Command prompt OR if you are using Safe Mode with Networking, in the text box, type msconfig.
      This should start the Windows System Configuration tool. Go to the Start-up tab, and search for any suspicious or unknown entries (random numbers or letter, ctfmon.exe and other suspicious entries) and uncheck them from start-up. Next, start your computer in normal mode and perform a scan with the following tools:

      STEP 1: Run a scan with RogueKiller

      1. Please download the latest official version of RogueKiller.
        RogueKiller Download Link (This link will automatically download RogueKiller on your computer)
      2. Double click on RogueKiller.exe to start this utility and then wait for the Prescan to complete.This should take only a few seconds and then you can click the Scan button to perform a system scan.
      3. After the scan has completed, press the Delete button to remove any malicious registry keys.

      STEP 2: Run a scan with Emsisoft Emergency Kit.

      1. Please download the latest official version of Emsisoft Emergency Kit.
        EMSISOFT EMERGENCY KIT DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will open a download page in a new window from where you can download Emsisoft Emergency Kit)
      2. After the download process will finish , you’ll need to unpack EmsisoftEmergencyKit.zip and then double click on EmergencyKitScanner.bat
      3. A pop-up will prompt you to update Emsisoft Emergency Kit , please click the “Yes” button.After the Update process has completed , put the mouse cursor over the “Menu” tab on the left and click-on “Scan PC“.
      4. Select “Smart scan” and click-on the below “SCAN” button.When the scan will be completed , you will be presented with a screen showing you the malware infections that Emsisoft Emergency Kit has detected.Make sure that everything is Checked (ticked) and click on the ‘Quarantine selected objects‘ button.
      ReplyReport
      1. Jean

        In reply to Stelian Pilici

        OMG – I thought I was going to have to take my computer into GeekSquad and spend hundreds of dollars to get this off my computer. Your instructions were easy and clear and after 3-hours, my computer is clean. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

        Report
  15. PKB

    Thank you very much. I was freaking out too when I saw the DOJ warning, but the second I read the MoneyPak bit, I knew it was fake, breathed a huge sigh of relief.

    I’m a bit angry that my two anti-spyware, anti-virus protection programs that I had paid for and were active didn’t work. Not to mention I never use my admin account either… Tricky, nasty bugger of a virus/trojan horse.

    Anyhow, thank you so much!!

    ReplyReport
  16. Jason

    i oughta send you the 300 bucks, this worked great. thanks man, you’re a life saver!

    ReplyReport
  17. TBaby23

    Thank God for u :) U are truly a blessing……. I am very thankful (I almost had a heart attack before I found this blog)

    ReplyReport
  18. John

    I got that this morning (2-15-2013) and almost panicked :) I had to boot up in Safe Mode and do a System Restore going back 12 hours in time and it was gone, Ran 2 different scans and nothing was found, Everything seems to be fine now, Let’s find these people and spend the $300.00 on airfare and go kick their asses !

    ReplyReport

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Stelian

Stelian leverages over a decade of cybersecurity expertise to lead malware analysis and removal, uncover scams, and educate people. His experience provides insightful analysis and valuable perspective.

61,116 articlesWriting since 2011
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