Police Warn of Ashley Madison Scams Amid Reports of Suicides by Exposed Users

Police in Toronto appealed today to hackers to help them track down the culprits behind the massive Ashley Madison leak. The call for help came as officials announced two unconfirmed reports of people committing suicide over the infidelity website's data breach, and warned of scam artists and extortionists preying on victims of the mushrooming debacle.

Toronto-based Avid Life Media (ALM), which owns marital cheating site AshleyMadison.com, pledged a $500,000 reward on Monday for anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest and prosecution of those responsible for the data dump last week.

Hacktivists calling themselves the Impact Team released nearly 10 gigabytes of information online on Tuesday, including partial credit card numbers, transaction details, and deeply personal information about the sexual preferences of users, which purportedly number around 39-million. Additional data was leaked on Thursday.

The hackers said that the break-in was motivated by ALM's dubious privacy policies and questionable business practices.

Toronto Police Acting Staff Superintendent Bryce Evans appealed to "white hat" hackers not involved in the leak to help law enforcement identify the Impact Team members who orchestrated the "criminal" and "sophisticated" hack, which he described as one of the largest data breaches in the world. He addressed the perpetrators directly, saying this was their "wake-up call." And while he said the investigation is moving in a "positive direction," Evans predicted that the ripple effects from the incident will be felt for some time.

"As of this morning we have two unconfirmed reports of suicides that are associated because of the leaks," said Evans, who is overseeing an investigation that includes Toronto police, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the FBI, and US Homeland Security. He declined to say where the suicides occurred, although a report emerged Monday of a Texas police chief taking his own life.

Related: How the Ashley Madison Hack Could Threaten People's Lives

"You got to understand people, the social impact behind this leak. We're talking about families, we're talking about their children, we're talking about their wives, we're talking about their male partners. Can you imagine going home and people talking at the dinner table?" Evans said at a press conference in Toronto. "We now have hate crimes that are a result of this… This ain't the fun and games anymore. This is reality, it's affecting all of us."

He outlined a timeline of the progressively hostile actions of the hackers, from the first warning message that showed up on the computer screens of ALM employees on July 12 (to the soundtrack of AC/DC's "Thunderstruck"), to the release of information pertaining to two users, to last week's widespread release.

Evans said criminals have already engaged in scams that claim to provide access to the leaked information.

"By clicking on these links, you are exposing your computer to malware, spyware, adware and viruses," Evans said. He added that others are peddling software that promises to erase the leaked customer profiles. "This is also a scam," he said. "Nobody is going to be able to erase that information."

There is at least one confirmed case of criminals threatening to extort Ashley Madison clients, according to Evans.

"If you would like to prevent me from sharing this dirt with all your known friends and family (and perhaps even your employers too?) then you need to send exactly 1.05 bitcoins," reads one email sent to a customer and provided by police. The figure amounts to $300 CAD. "Consider how expensive a divorce lawyer is," the email adds.

Police could not say how many of the Ashley Madison accounts are fake, but that investigators have validated at least some of the addresses.

Evans said police had not uncovered any criminal wrongdoing on the part of Avid Life Media, and that the company is cooperating fully in the ongoing investigation.

"In the very best interest of our customers, who have been affected by this malicious act, we are firmly committed to fully assisting these law enforcement and investigative authorities, without reserve," ALM said in a statement released Monday. "Because of this active and ongoing investigation, there is little more we can provide at this time to the media and the public."

The released trove includes hundreds of Canadian government email addresses, plus some 15,000 US government and military accounts.

Homeland Security Assistant Attaché Ronald Marcell was asked if his department was looking into the potential impact the leak could have on the national security of the United States.

"That is one angle, yes," he said. "Anytime a government email or employee is put at a risk of exposure, national security is a concern."

Related: Ashley Madison Targeted by Class-Action Lawsuit in Canada Over Privacy Breach

Follow Natalie Alcoba on Twitter: @nataliealcoba