Ashley Madison hack may be linked to two suicides: Police

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Toronto police say the hacking of the Ashley Madison cheating website has sparked extortion attempts and at least two unconfirmed suicides.
The Ashley Madison app displayed on a smartphone. PHOTO: REUTERS

OTTAWA (AFP) - Two suicides may be linked to the hacking of adultery website Ashley Madison and the release of its membership data, Canadian police warned on Monday.

Staff Superintendent Bryce Evan of the Toronto police told a news conference about the deaths.

But he cautioned it has yet to be confirmed that they are linked to the release of stolen e-mails and user account information from some 32 million Ashley Madison members.

Meanwhile, Ashley Madison's parent company, Avid Life Media, is offering a reward to catch the hackers.

"Today I can confirm that Avid Life Media is offering a $500,000 (S$533,898) reward to anyone providing information that leads to the identification, arrest and prosecution of the person or persons responsible for the leak of the Ashley Madison database," Evans said, according to BBC.

The Toronto police along with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Ontario Provincial Police and the American FBI are investigating the hack.

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