Skip to main content

Ashley Madison: Blackmailers now sending letters to homes of hacked users

The fallout from July’s massive Ashley Madison hack drags on, with some of those caught up in the incident now receiving letters in the mail threatening to tell friends and family about their use of the site unless they hand over cash.

One recipient of the letter was ordered to pay just over $4,000 or face the consequences, according to prominent security expert Graham Cluley.

Recommended Videos

Cluley said in a blog post that although “Internet low-lives” have been sending out a steady stream of blackmail emails since the summer, it’s now apparent that “blackmailers are also prepared to take things a step further and write letters to the homes of hacked users.” He described the criminals’ change in strategy as “an unpleasant turn” of events.

The high-profile hack saw the personal details of 33 million people stolen from Ashley Madison, an adultery website that runs with the tagline, “Life is short, have an affair.”

The security specialist revealed a letter sent to him recently by one of the blackmailers’ targets. The recipient told Cluley they’d just received “a physical postal letter” to their home address demanding money, and asked the expert for advice.

Cluley said that although it must have been distressing to receive the letter, he was “strongly of the opinion that – in the majority of cases – blackmailers are trying their luck, hoping that a small percentage of those targeted will pay up.”

He suggests that recipients sit tight as “paying the blackmailers any money is only likely to make them focus on you more. Ignoring them is probably a better plan.” He added that anyone who receives such a letter should seriously consider informing the police.

Cluley told the BBC he’s been contacted numerous times by Ashley Madison users who’ve received threats via email, but switching to physical mail meant the action had been “stepped up a gear.”

He added that in his opinion it was unlikely the original hackers were involved in the blackmail efforts, suggesting it’s probably the work of others who got hold of the personal data after it was posted on the Web in August, a month after the hack took place.

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
How to change margins in Google Docs
Laptop Working from Home

When you create a document in Google Docs, you may need to adjust the space between the edge of the page and the content -- the margins. For instance, many professors have requirements for the margin sizes you must use for college papers.

You can easily change the left, right, top, and bottom margins in Google Docs and have a few different ways to do it.

Read more
What is Microsoft Teams? How to use the collaboration app
A close-up of someone using Microsoft Teams on a laptop for a videoconference.

Online team collaboration is the new norm as companies spread their workforce across the globe. Gone are the days of primarily relying on group emails, as teams can now work together in real time using an instant chat-style interface, no matter where they are.

Using Microsoft Teams affords video conferencing, real-time discussions, document sharing and editing, and more for companies and corporations. It's one of many collaboration tools designed to bring company workers together in an online space. It’s not designed for communicating with family and friends, but for colleagues and clients.

Read more
Microsoft Word vs. Google Docs
A person using a laptop that displays various Microsoft Office apps.

For the last few decades, Microsoft Word has been the de facto standard for word processors across the working world. That's finally starting to shift, and it looks like one of Google's productivity apps is the heir apparent. The company's Google Docs solution (or to be specific, the integrated word processor) is cross-platform and interoperable, automatically syncs, is easily shareable, and perhaps best of all, is free.

However, using Google Docs proves it still has a long way to go before it can match all of Word's features -- Microsoft has been developing its word processor for over 30 years, after all, and millions still use Microsoft Word. Will Google Docs' low barrier to entry and cross-platform functionality win out? Let's break down each word processor in terms of features and capabilities to help you determine which is best for your needs.
How does each word processing program compare?
To put it lightly, Microsoft Word has an incredible advantage over Google Docs in terms of raw technical capability. From relatively humble beginnings in the 1980s, Microsoft has added new tools and options in each successive version. Most of the essential editing tools are available in Google Docs, but users who are used to Word will find it limited.

Read more