Ottawa is World's cheating capital after Ashley Madison hacking

Melbourne: With the Ashley Madison hacking scandal, Ottawa has been claimed to be the cheating capital of the world.

According to figures provided by the Toronto-based company, whose slogan is "Life Is Short. Have an Affair," one in five Ottawa residents are allegedly subscribed to the cheating website, reported News.com.au.

Chief executive of Avid Life Media, Noel Biderman, said that Ottawa is the marriage infidelity hotbed of the world and claims that the top postcode for Ashley Madison members is Parliament Hill, the home of Canada's parliament.

Ottawa marriage counsellor Nataxja Cini said that the city is full of professionals with demanding careers, which could put a strain on relationships but being part of a stable family was still seen as a badge of success, and so an Ashley Madison subscription may be preferable to a divorce.

Private investigators and divorce lawyers in Ottawa say they expect their phones to be ringing off the hook in the wake of the scandal.

Talking about the scandal, Avid Life Media said that an unauthorised party was able to gain access to its data through various unauthorised points on the website.

Meanwhile, a group calling itself the Impact Team claimed responsibility and said it was part of an effort to shut down Ashley Madison.