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By Elisha Fieldstadt
Coffee Meets Bagel users may decide to break up with the dating app this Valentine’s Day.
Romance-seekers using the app received an email early Thursday warning them that data from their accounts may have been “acquired by an unauthorized party.”
The email, which Coffee Meets Bagel did not release publicly but was obtained by NBC News, said the company discovered the breach Monday.
The compromised information includes only names and email addresses shared with the app before May 2018, according to the email. The company said it does not store any financial information or passwords.
The company urged members to use caution during email correspondence and avoid clicking on links and attachments or sharing personal information after unsolicited requests.
Coffee Meets Bagel presents itself as a sort of anti-hookup app. It says its aim is to help users find “meaningful connections.” At noon each day, users receive a limited number of matches based on an algorithm. Users can contact matches only if the other person “likes” them too.
The email sent to users said the company has hired security experts to review the breach, is monitoring for suspicious activity and third-party breaches, enhancing its breach detection systems, and working with law enforcement.
“With online dating, people need to feel safe. If they don’t feel safe, they won’t share themselves authentically or make meaningful connections” Coffee Meets Bagel said in a statement. “We take that responsibility seriously, so we informed our community as soon as possible — regardless of what calendar date it fell on — about what happened and what we are doing about it.”
The company did not respond to a question about how many users were affected but said the breach was part of an information leak affecting 620 million accounts across their company and 15 others.
