Comment by nom

The ransomware scheme only works because the users actually get their files back and the prices are pretty reasonable for many victims. The perpetrators spend a lot of time on the ransomware and its backend. The better it works works, the more people will pay. They rely on people like us to spread the word that it's not a scam, it's real and it works.

Now that I think about it: It would really damage the whole ransomware scheme if there were fake / rogue versions that won't decrypt, wouldn't it?