Remove Department of Justice virus (MoneyPak Scam)

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.

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.

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.
    MALWAREBYTES ANTI-MALWARE DOWNLOAD LINK(This link will open a download page in a new window from where you can download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free)
  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:
    HITMANPRO DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will open a web page from where you can download HitmanPro)
  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]

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.
    HITMANPRO DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will open a download page in a new web page from where you can download HitmanPro Kickstart)
  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:
    KASPERSKY RESCUE DISK DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will automatically download Kaspersky Rescue Disk (kav_rescue_10.iso) on your computer.)
  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.
    IMGBURN DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will open a new page from where you can download the ImgBurn program)
  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]

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.

10 Rules to Avoid Online Scams

Here are 10 practical safety rules to help you avoid malware, online shopping scams, crypto scams, and other online fraud. Each tip includes a quick “if you already got hit” action.

  1. Stop and verify before you click, log in, download, or pay.

    warning sign

    Most scams win by creating urgency. Verify using a trusted method: type the website address yourself, use the official app, or call a known number (not the one in the message).

    If you already clicked: close the page, do not enter passwords, and run a malware scan.

  2. Keep your operating system, browser, and apps updated.

    updates guide

    Updates patch security holes used by malware and malicious ads. Turn on automatic updates where possible.

    If you saw a scary “update now” pop-up: close it and update only through your device settings or the official app store.

  3. Use layered protection: antivirus plus an ad blocker.

    shield guide

    Antivirus helps block malware. An ad blocker reduces scam redirects, phishing pages, and malvertising.

    If your browser is acting weird: remove unknown extensions, reset the browser, then run a full scan.

  4. Install apps, software, and extensions only from official sources.

    install guide

    Avoid cracked software, “keygens,” and random downloads. During installs, choose Custom/Advanced and decline bundled offers you do not recognize.

    If you already installed something suspicious: uninstall it, restart, and scan again.

  5. Treat links and attachments as untrusted by default.

    cursor sign

    Phishing often impersonates delivery services, banks, and popular brands. If it is unexpected, do not open attachments or log in through the message.

    If you entered credentials: change the password immediately and enable 2FA.

  6. Shop safely: research the store, then pay with protection.

    trojan horse

    Be cautious with brand-new stores, “closing sale” stories, and prices that make no sense. Prefer credit cards or PayPal for dispute options. Avoid wire transfers, gift cards, and crypto payments.

    If you already paid: contact your card issuer or PayPal quickly to dispute the transaction.

  7. Crypto rule: never pay a “fee” to withdraw or recover money.

    lock sign

    Common patterns include fake profits, then “tax,” “gas,” or “verification” fees. Another is a “recovery agent” who demands upfront crypto.

    If you already sent crypto: stop paying, save evidence (wallet addresses, TXIDs, chats), and report the scam to the platform used.

  8. Secure your accounts with unique passwords and 2FA (start with email).

    lock sign

    Use a password manager and unique passwords for every account. Enable 2FA using an authenticator app when possible.

    If you suspect an account takeover: change passwords, sign out of all devices, and review recent logins and recovery settings.

  9. Back up important files and keep one backup offline.

    backup sign

    Backups protect you from ransomware and device failure. Keep at least one backup on an external drive that is not always connected.

    If you suspect infection: do not connect backup drives until the system is clean.

  10. If you think you are a victim: stop losses, document evidence, and escalate fast.

    warning sign

    Move quickly. Speed matters for disputes, account recovery, and limiting damage.

    • Stop payments and contact: do not send more money or respond to the scammer.
    • Call your bank or card issuer: block transactions, replace the card if needed, and start a dispute or chargeback.
    • Secure your email first: change the email password, enable 2FA, and remove unfamiliar recovery options.
    • Secure other accounts: change passwords, enable 2FA, and log out of all sessions.
    • Scan your device: remove suspicious apps or extensions, then run a full malware scan.
    • Save evidence: screenshots, emails, order pages, tracking pages, wallet addresses, TXIDs, and chat logs.
    • Report it: to the payment provider, marketplace, social platform, exchange, or wallet service involved.

These rules are intentionally simple. Most online losses happen when decisions are rushed. Slow down, verify independently, and use payment methods and account controls that give you recourse.

151 thoughts on “Remove Department of Justice virus (MoneyPak Scam)”

  1. Hi,
    I am not able to restore my office laptop.Also I couldn’t use USB drive. It is shutting down in Safe mode as well as in Safe mode with networking.Please give me a good suggestion.

  2. I ve only restored my windows, and it worked fine… On some other site i ve seen some registry files that i have to delete…. But couldnt find those… Do i still need to download a programme to delete the virus? Or has it gone after i restore my laptop??? I m sorry i kinda suck at computer stuff!:)

    • Hello Jared,
      Yes,please download Malwarebytes and HitmanPro , and run a scan with these software….Both scans should not take more that 30 minutes and will clean any trace of malware.

  3. Wow, I was a little shook up over that one! Somebody put a lot of work into that. Very convincing. I’ll bet a lot of people fell for that and paid the $300 “fine”. I used method 2 and it worked great! Then I followed up with Ad-Aware full scan. I would have had to seek professional help, as I am only half-geek. Thank you so much for your guidance.

  4. oh man I was so scared when that virus came out of my computer. I don’t usually look at underage porn, and play with myself. I was surfing on an uninfected comp and I saw ur bl. I followed ur first step and it work, thank GOD I found you to help me out. You are a GOD sent, thank you very much.

  5. Hello,

    Can I use AVIRA virus scanner to find it and delete it, if I don’t want to download the Hitman? Thanks!!

    • Hello Ryan,
      Not sure if Avira can detect this variant of the virus, however I see no reasons why you shouldn’t do a scan with this product !! :)
      Stay safe!

  6. Im confused. When I ran the malwarebytes scan, it picked up one(1) virus which was a trojan horse not named doj virus

    • Hello Mortredor,
      The virus it’s not named DOJ..that’s just an interface that the cyber criminals use to trick people….The infection is called Trojan.Reveton.

  7. Only hitman pro found the .exe files in another users login. I was logged in as admin, and Malwarebytes did not spot the files in another users temp folder. MalwareBytes DID find a bunch of other trojans etc, but needed Hitman Pro to finish the job

  8. Thank You.. I know Damn well I wasn’t looking at kid porn , I was like WTF is this S**T! .. And when I seen the Cam I really got nervous. I removed that crap following your instructions..Thanks again Bud..

  9. I fixed the virus but I do not have a virus scanner or the ability to restore to an earlier point. What I did was log in with a different account. Then when my desktop screen came on I wait a few seconds and the virus came up. I pressed the computer power button. The screen went back to the desktop for a second. I pressed ctrl-alt-del and the task manager came up. Automatically a window came up with the cancel option. I clicked cancel. Now I am on the desktop again. I booted up msconfig and looked at startup. I could see a weird name at the end of one of the files. Random letters with an .exe

    • Then I told it to disable the file on startup. Also I went to my user name folder and renamed the virus to virus.exe. Next I rebooted and chose my account. I used msconfig to disable the file on my account too. Then I rebooted. Now I can delete the virus in my user name account name folder. Now empty the recycle bin and reboot once more. It’s working now!

  10. Im running Windows 7. I restored my pc to a previous date, then upon reboot I press F8 and selected safe-mode with networking. I proceeded to download HitmanPro. After downloading I ran the scan and followed the steps. Thank God everything turned out great. I tried both steps to ensure complete removal.

  11. I used method 1 to help my gf. It worked great thank you so much at first we were lost but this saved us thank you

  12. THANK YOU….oh I can’t tell you how frustrated I was with this virus. But all is good to go now! I used the method 1 and it was fine. Thank you!

    • Hello Keel,
      Usually their is a need for Admin rights to completely remove malware… Anyway can you please try to create a bootable HitmanPro KickStart disk and run a scan with it?
      If it doesn’t work, you’ll need to created a Kaspersky Rescue CD as seen in this article, on Method 3.

  13. Thank you for this gift.
    My only question is this: I noticed that in your example videos, HitmanPro was working on Windows7. My infected desktop is an XP. Will it still work? I am using my old laptop with XP to make the boot flash drive. So far, it is searching this computer for any malware.
    I just received a new laptop with Windows8. I’m finally upgrading.
    Thank you again.

    • Hello Don,
      Yes HitmanPro will work for Windows XP and 8 also …. Good luck and Have a Happy New Year!

  14. Thank you! I somehow got this annoying virus last night and was able to easily dispose of it with Method 1. I appreciate your help so much!

      • Pull up this post and followed the directions and within 10 minutes I had my computer working. Excellent insight on the virus and how to resolve. Would tell everyone to use these suggestions!! THANK YOU!!!!

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