He was saving money he hadn't actually saved.
"Thank you for installing the full version, Alex. Your data has been indexed. Your thesis topic: 'Neural Networks in Economics' has been flagged. Your bank balance: $441.32. Your most frequent contact: Mom. A ransom of 0.5 Bitcoin has been donated to a clean water charity in your name. You’re welcome."
That night, his laptop screen flickered. A command prompt opened itself. Text scrolled too fast to read. Then, a calm, robotic voice spoke through his laptop speakers—which he was certain were broken.