Ashley Madison account holders are still reeling from last week’s dump of user information by hacking group The Impact Team.
No doubt marriages have crumbled, relationships have dissolved and even jobs could have been lost over the Ashley Madison debacle.
However, in these trying times, the ones still holding their breath to see if their loved one finds out about their Ashley Madison account are the new targets.
If you think that just because your significant other hasn’t checked the list of Ashley Madison accounts for your name means you’re in the clear, you are so very wrong.
A new crop of scumbag has risen in response to the Ashley Madison hack.
According to eCanadaNow, these folks will reportedly contact Ashley Madison account holders and threaten to expose your nefarious deeds to your significant other unless you pay them hush money to the tune of one bitcoin, which is approximately $225.
IT Specialist Rick Romero explains their method, saying, “Spammers are using the email providers VFEMail to target Ashley Madison users.”
Guys, cheating really doesn’t pay. Unless you’re an extortionist.
One man who was recently contacted by an extortionist is refusing to pay and taking a risk that could disrupt his entire life.
Mac, known only by his first name, gave his reason, stating that he is only “loosely concerned” about future extortion attacks. However, he is not that worried about this first round.
He said, “If I put myself in [the extortionist’s] shoes, the likelihood of them disclosing stuff doesn’t increase their chance of getting money. I’m just not going to respond.”
He added, “So they have my home billing address and first and last name, so it would be relatively easy for them to get my home records and figure out who I am. I’ll accept the consequences if this does get disclosed, but obviously I’d rather not have that happen because my wife and I are both very happy in our marriage.”
Ok, but if you were happy…oh, well.
What do you think about these new extortion attempts? If it were you in the hot seat, would you pay up to not have your Ashley Madison info exposed to your significant other?
