Greater Manchester Police had to abandon an investigation into the Archiveus trojan because the owner of the computer took it for repair before contacting them.

This Trojan disrupts a computer by combining all of the files in a users My Document folder into a single file it claims is encrypted. A text file is then created telling the user to make an order at an online pharmacy in order to receive a code to unlock the files.

Helen Barrow, a nurse from Littleborough, was infected with the Trojan. However she contacted a local IT expert to try to retrieve her files before going to Manchester police to make a complaint.

Unfortunately the police were unable to pursue the case because the process of repairing the computer had destroyed forensic evidence.

A spokesperson for the police told Computeractive that the public must consult them first before attempting to recover computer files. This is because recovery destroys all of the forensic evidence on the computer.

All reporting of these crimes should be done through local police forces. However the Association of Chief Police Officers said the first step should be by telephone rather than turning up with the affected computer. Contact details for local police forces can be found at www.police.uk.

Because the code behind the Trojan was simple a fix was easily found.