Cybercriminals exploit personal info in spouse infidelity scam emails

Many people have started receiving emails alleging evidence of a spouse's infidelity containing very personal information. How did the senders even know the names of their dogs?

Cybercriminals attempting to extort money via email use a range of tricks to lure potential victims into a trap. They threaten to install viruses on computers, claim they have access to our "spicy photos," or threaten our bank accounts. The Bleeping Computer portal reported on a new popular threat.

This time, online criminals are trying to convince victims that they have materials proving their spouse committed infidelity. What alarmed most recipients of the scam emails was the use of names not commonly associated with them or used online, such as maiden names or middle names. The emails even included pet names.

Many people wrote on Reddit about receiving such messages. One user reported: "They used our full names (even my middle name, which I hardly ever use) and I'm not sure how they found this information. I'm almost certain it's a scam, but I couldn't find any information about it online.... has this happened to anyone? It's so creepy."

Some of the "infidelity" scams come from a single source. The circulated email reads: "[spouse's name] is cheating on you. Here's proof. As a cybersecurity company, we found information about [spouse's name] that would interest you. We made a full backup of his disk (we have his entire address book, social media, web browsing history, dating apps, all files, phone numbers, and addresses of all his contacts) and we are ready to give you full access to this data. More details can be found on our website".

Although it is not confirmed where the private information comes from, many Reddit users claim they only shared it on the popular wedding planning site The Knot. One user confessed she received an email about her "cheating" dog, Mr. Wiggles, whose name she also shared on the site. Asked by Bleeping Computer for a comment on the alleged data leak, the site did not address these suspicions. The Knot has 35 million users monthly.

We must be aware that all the data we have ever entered online is potentially at risk of leaking. Cybercriminals are constantly seeking new methods to rob victims. Therefore, it is worth keeping this in mind when we receive any "sudden," "urgent," and "shocking" messages. Both in our email, on social media, or on the phone. The key to scammers' success is our impulsive, emotional reactions.