Victims of the Ashley Madison hack are receiving letters from blackmailers threatening to expose their membership to family and friends if they refuse to pay money.
In July, the adultery site was breached by a group of hackers, who subsequently released the personal information of its 33m users the dark web.
The leaked information included the names, email addresses and credit card details of Ashley Madison users, as well as emails exchanged between the site’s executives.
Shortly after the data was leaked online, numerous Ashley Madison users reported they had received emails from blackmailers demanding money in exchange for their membership to remain a secret.
The data breach was also linked to two accounts of suicide in Canada just one month after the attack.
It now seems as though blackmailers have stepped up their threats, and are now sending printed letters to the homes of users, requesting sums of money and threatening to expose them to their loved ones if they don’t comply.
One particular case was documented by security expert Graham Cluley, who blogged about a query he received from someone who had been targeted with a printed letter at their home.
One Ashley Madison user sent Cluley: “I just received a physical postal letter to my house asking for $4167 USD or exposed my AM account to people close to me. is your advice the same as in your vid about email blackmail? Thank you.”
In response to the email, Cluley wrote: “I can understand how it would be distressing for Ashley Madison members to receive a letter like that through the post, but I’m 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 has since advised users to ignore the threat and to inform the authorities about the letter.
Cluley added: “I understand that it must be very unsettling and worrying, but paying the blackmailers any money is only likely to make them focus on you more. Ignoring them is probably a better plan in my humble opinion.”
He has also made a video advising victims on how they should respond to Ashley Madison blackmail emails.
You can watch the full video below: