YNOT EUROPE – The UK is abuzz with debate about censoring online pornography, but so far neither Parliament nor local authorities have levied fines for watching smut on the web.

A scam artist operating in Mildenhall apparently hopes folks don’t realize they are free to watch whatever they wish in their own homes. Suffolk police are seeking the man, who masqueraded as a police officer and appeared at a woman’s home demanding she pay restitution for her “crime.”

The 20-year-old woman told officers a computer pop-up message claiming to be from the Metropolitan Police ordered her to pay a £100 fine because she had been caught accessing online porn. She called the telephone number listed in the message, denied the allegation and refused to pay.

The next day, a man claiming to be a police officer showed up on her doorstep wearing a high-visibility vest emblazoned with the word “police.” He did not present any identification, but he did show the victim a list of pornographic websites allegedly accessed from her IP address. The phony policeman also told the woman if she did not pay the fine, her computer would be “locked.”

The basic scam is an old one, usually resulting from malware infection of a victim’s computer: A pop-up message alerts the victim that his or her computer has been commandeered, and unless the victim submits a payment to some anonymous outfit via an online payment service, the user will lose access to his or her computer. Sometimes failure to pay does result in a lockdown of the victim’s machine. The Mildenhall case is the first incident to incorporate an in-person visit from one of the presumed cyber-criminals, though.

Suffolk police reminded residents there is no fine for viewing legal pornography on the internet. While police may confiscate computer equipment they suspect was used in the commission of a crime, they will not threaten to lock a personal computer unless a citizen agrees to pay a “fine” via Paysafe, Ukash, or any other online payment provider.

In addition, a spokesperson warned residents to ask for identification from anyone claiming to be a police officer.