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N.D. (NewsDakota.com) North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem (STEN’-juhm) is warning consumers about an Internet scam in which perpetrators pose as the FBI in an attempt to extort money.

Stenehjem says the phony warning appears on the computer screen says the government has taken control of the computer because it has been linked to illegal downloads of music, videos, pornography or other items.

Stenehjem says computer users are instructed to purchase a MoneyPak card and enter the card’s code number to unlock the computer. The “warning” is part of a virus that makes the computer unusable.

Stenehjem says paying the supposed fine does not remove the virus or unlock the computer. He says “it simply puts money in the pocket of the scam artist.”