Patreon denies the legitimacy of bitcoin extortionist ransoming user data
An unverified number of donors to crowdfunding service Patreon are being extorted for Bitcoin after a cyber-attack against the website leaked user data.
Following 15GB of Patreon users’ personal data being published in October, email addresses included in the leak were recently sent a ransom demanding a bitcoin in exchange for silence.
If users did not comply, a poorly written ransom claiming to have users’ “tax id, tax forms, SSN, DOB, Name, Address, Credit card details” and more, threatened to leak the already leaked “details online which would damage your credit score like hell and would create a lot of problems for you”.
Read the email below.
Everyone whose data got leaked when @patreon got hacked is getting extortion emails for Bitcoin this morning. pic.twitter.com/xaww1GmZpw
— Steve Streza (@SteveStreza) November 21, 2015
Patreon rubbished the threat, telling users to ignore it.
Some of you have received a scam email mentioning Patreon. No need to worry - the info is false & is spam, so please ignore it.
— Patreon (@Patreon) November 21, 2015
The attempt was mocked by some of those affected on Twitter.
@SteveStreza managing a database of who has paid a 1 bitcoin ransom is a nonsensical risk/effort/reward ratio
— Livadas (@Livadas) November 21, 2015
@stevestreza Fun fact: in a bunch of the patreon scam emails, the guy CC'd his own personal email by mistake.
— PK (@PK_EQD) November 21, 2015
@SteveStreza “create problems for you” wat
— Owen Williams (@ow) November 21, 2015
@SteveStreza “sending bitcoin takes take” is the part that pushed me over the edge
— Oisín Prendiville (@prendio2) November 21, 2015
@SteveStreza @schezar @Patreon How would it "damage your credit score?" You could pretty easily dispute the fraudulent activity.
— Ben (@blahshaw) November 21, 2015
@SteveStreza @Patreon from an AOL address no less!
— CM Harrington (@octothorpe) November 21, 2015