WASHINGTON — Scammers are trying to score in the fallout of the Ashley Madison hack.
The adultery site hack exposed more than 30 million users, leaving many red-faced with some explaining to do.
The fraudsters are now preying on the jittery and vulnerable.
“I think any time there’s a lot of public interest on any subject, scammers are going to exploit that,” says security expert Brian Krebs.
Some people have gotten emails claiming knowledge of their membership, warning them to pay up or risk being outed to their spouse.
Other websites have popped up targeting spouses concerned that their mate wasn’t true. Users enter email addresses and other information to see whether their special someone had a paid membership to Ashley Madison.
In Toronto, police bemoaned the ripple effect.
“They have already sparked spinoffs of crimes and further victimization,” says Bryce Evans, the Toronto police service staff superintendent.
He said this hack is way beyond fun and games.
“We now have hate crimes that are a result of this.” he says.
