I’ve written before about Ashley Madison-related blackmail threats and how they then began to be sent out by extortionists via the US postal system.

A reader has now been in touch with what they claim is a letter they received attempting to extort $2000 worth of Bitcoin. The recipient is told that if he doesn’t pay up within 10 days their family and colleagues will be informed of their membership of the controversial dating site.

Yes, I know about your secret, that you paid for services from a company that specializes in facilitating adultery. But what makes me a threat to you is that I have also spent several days getting to know about you, your family and others in your life. All you have to do in order to prevent me from using this information against you, [REDACTED], is to pay me $2000. And before you ignore this letter consider this: You received this via first class mail. It wasn’t a spam email some Nigerian sent to thousands of people. That means I spent money on it. It means I took extensive counter-forensics measures to ensure the Postal Inspector would not be able to track it back to me via post marks or via prints and DNA. It means I paid cash for a printer that couldn‘t be traced back to me. I have spent considerable time and money on you, [REDACTED]. So if you decide to ignore me, you can be certain that I sure as hell won‘t ignore you.

References are made (redacted in my images) to the details of another Ashley Madison user who is said to have failed to pay the ransom.

I of course anonymously contacted his wife, [REDACTED], and told her about [REDACTED]’s membership on Ashley Madison and told her how to confirm it for herself. But I didn’t stop there. l also contacted [REDACTED]’s work colleagues. I also contacted his daughter. And his daughters boyfriend. And I contacted several of his superiors, peers, and subordinates at [REDACTED]. You see, [REDACTED], if you don’t comply with my demand I am not just going to humiliate you, I am going to humiliate those close to you as well.

The alleged blackmail letter goes on to give detailed instructions on how to make a Bitcoin payment. I checked out the Bitcoin address quoted in the letter and as far as I can see it has not received any payments. Of course, it is always possible that the extortionist is setting up different Bitcoin addresses for each victim.

Anyone who receives a blackmail letter like this will have to make their own mind up as to how to respond, but my opinion is that blackmailers should never be paid. After all, how can you guarantee that they will not attempt to extort further money out of you in future?

If you respond in any way to the extortionist there is the danger that you will be perceived as a “hot lead” for them to pursue, rather than them trying their luck with someone else.

Instead, I would recommend contacting the authorities, including the US Postal Inspectors.

All the same, I can certainly understand that anyone who receives a letter like this through the post would find it extremely disturbing.

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