By now you have probably heard about the Ashley Madison hack. For those who haven’t, Ashley Madison is an online service for married people seeking to have an affair. A group of hackers calling itself The Impact Team stole private user data from Ashley Madison and announced in July that it would publish the data if the site was not taken down. The site is still up and the hackers have made good on their promise. Now there are several sites that you can use to search and find out if your spouse or anyone else had an Ashley Madison account. But if you do, and they did, what now?
Don’t Assume the Account is Legit
First, don’t panic. You can search by email address or phone number, but Ashley Madison does not verify the information their customers use, and people who want to be sneaky are notorious for using false information. Not to mention people who will create accounts under other people’s names out of spite. Just because you get a hit does not mean your spouse was really the person who created the account.
Don’t Assume You Will Get More Money, Property, or Custody
If your spouse really was cheating on you, you may think that will work in your favor in a divorce. In some states it can, but times have changed and it does not necessarily mean that you will “win” more alimony, property, or child custody. If you have been considering divorce, but holding back for financial reasons, the Ashley Madison hack is not your winning lottery ticket.
Ask Yourself Why You Checked
This is the most important question. Chances are, if you felt compelled to search and find out if your spouse signed up on the cheating site, there are already underlying issues in your marriage or in your mind. Does that mean your marriage is doomed? No, but it may mean it is time for some serious conversation or counseling. Doubts and friction, and even infidelity, come about in marriage for many reasons. Most of them can be resolved.
If you feel you can’t save the marriage, please review the list of divorce law firms in this directory to find an attorney who can help you navigate through this difficult situation.
