Scam Extortionists Threaten To Release Hacked Patreon User Data
Early last month fan patronage site Patreon was hacked. No sensitive user data accessed, according to the startup, which nonetheless recommended a change of passwords. But now, some Patreon users are receiving threatening messages.
Over the weekend some Patreon users received emails threatening to release their social security number, credit card number and other sensitive information, if 1 bitcoin was not paid to a specific bitcoin wallet.
Patreon quickly sent an email to all users calling the threat a scam.
I learned yesterday evening that some Patreon users have been receiving a scam email. The sender claims to have the recipient’s SSN, credit card number and other personal information. I want to assure everyone that the claims in this email are false, and we are already working with federal law enforcement. Do not reply to the email—it is a scam. The tax forms we store are securely encrypted with RSA 2048-bit encryption, and we do not store full credit card numbers.
If you receive this email I suggest you flag it as spam and ignore any further emails. Do not reply.
Thanks.
Jack Conte, CEO/Co-founder, Patreon
