So we have antivirus2009 taking your files hostage and telling you to get FileFix pro to get them back. So we should probably stop trusting what software tells us and make our own minds up right?

Oh, but then there's the web-based service that we should allow full access to our files to regain our files. Right. Not at all going to confuse the average user on the what you should allow/what you shouldn't allow.

The way FireEye are doing this is just going to fuel scareware even more as users begin to see allowing websites unfettered file access as a Good Thing (c).

Actually they have provided the perl script, the online thing is only for the people who can't run it themselves

regularly and every time a high value item is added to the my documents file.

a daily back up to a usb drive is simple and cheap.

no excuses for nor doing so.

then some money is changing hands, and its presumably not being done in cash.

That money, surely, is passing through some sort of money transfer service. Initially, maybe, to a middleman who doesn't know what it is for ... and via countries whose police may or may not be very competent or very co-operative ... but sooner or later that money has to end up with somebody who knows who is doing this.