CashCrate 2016 Data Breach
ObscureIQ Breach Intelligence
Low SeverityWebsite / service breach
CashCrate Online Rewards Platform Breach (2016): 6.9 Million User Accounts Including Account Balances & Passwords Exposed
Online rewards and paid surveys platform (now defunct)
Verified by ObscureIQ Intelligence
30/100Breach Risk Index
8Data Value
25Market Recency
478dSince Breach
Breach Intelligence Summary
Entity: CashCrate · Actor: Unknown · Sources: 8 references
Attack: Web Application Exploit
Profile: Platform · Paid surveys, offers, and rewards services · Get-paid-to rewards platform · USA
Timeline: Breach (2016-11-17) · Indexed (Mar 17, 2025) · Year (2016)
Exposure: 6.9M records · 6 fields: Account Balance, Email Address, Full Name, Password, Phone Number, Physical Address
Status: Confirmed
Executive Summary
CashCrate suffered a breach on 17 November 2016, disclosed in June 2017 when the data was offered for sale, exposing 6,892,355 records. The company attributed it to a compromise of third-party forum software. Exposed data included names, home addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, account balances, and passwords stored in plaintext for older accounts or weak MD5 hashes for newer ones.
ObscureIQ assessment: Exposure enables phishing, account abuse, fraud, and profiling based on financial or rewards-seeking behavior. The user base may be especially susceptible to scam offers.
Breach Impact
Plaintext passwords eliminate any cracking barrier for affected accounts, and the pairing of real names, home addresses, phone numbers, and account balances supports identity fraud, credential stuffing, and targeted scams.
About CashCrate
CashCrate was a get-paid-to (GPT) survey and rewards site where members completed surveys and offers to earn cash payouts.
Why They Hold Your Data
Get-paid-to rewards platforms collect user identity, contact details, offer participation, payment-linked records, reward balances, and survey history tied to incentive workflows.
Recent Developments
CashCrate deactivated the implicated third-party forum software after the breach and later ceased operations.
Data Points Exposed
6 verified field types
Account Balance High
Email Address
Full Name High
Password Critical
Phone Number
Physical Address High
Field names are shown in full for clarity and search visibility. Canonical machine keys are emitted only in this page’s structured data.
Exploitation & Downstream Threats
Threat Activity:High
Primary downstream threats:
- Credential stuffing against reused passwords across other platforms
- SIM swap attacks where phone numbers are present
- Targeted phishing campaigns using exposed email addresses
- Doxxing risk from physical address exposure
Threat vectors:
- High-value targeting
- Phishing, credential stuffing & account takeover
- Name-based social engineering
- Credential stuffing & account takeover
- SIM swapping, vishing & SMS phishing
- Physical stalking, mail fraud & identity verification
- Home targeting, stalking & physical threat
Recommended Actions
If you believe your information may be included:
Change Reused Passwords
Update this account and anywhere you reused the password; use a manager.
Enable MFA Everywhere
Turn on multi-factor authentication on email first, then financial accounts.
Report & Recover
If you spot misuse, start an official recovery plan and report fraud.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened in the CashCrate breach?▾
CashCrate suffered a breach on 17 November 2016, disclosed in June 2017 when the data was offered for sale, exposing 6,892,355 records. The company attributed it to a compromise of third-party forum software. Exposed data included names, home addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, account…
What data was exposed?▾
Verified fields include Account Balance, Email Address, Full Name, Password, Phone Number, Physical Address.
What should I do if I was affected?▾
Change reused passwords, enable MFA, and (if identity or financial data is involved) freeze your credit and monitor your accounts.
Sources & References
Every claim on this page is traceable. This breach draws on:
Breach Index
Breach Index
Cross-source
9ghz
Cross-source
BreachAware
Cross-source
BreachForums_Official_Index
Cross-source
Dehashed
Cross-source
leakfind
ObscureIQ Intelligence
ObscureIQ proprietary analysis
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