The European Central Bank announced today that hackers have stolen about 20,000 email addresses and an unknown but lower amount of other information like physical addresses and phone numbers from a database serving its website. The information was reportedly lifted from the ECB’s listings of people who register for its events, and isn’t tied to internal ECB systems.

The ECB, which oversees the financial systems for 18 member countries, said on its official site that it found out about the theft when hackers sent an anonymous email “seeking financial compensation” for the data. AKA, ransom money.

A spokeswoman tells PC World that the ECB has not and will not pay any money to hackers.

No part of the ECB’s internal system nor any market sensitive data was compromised, the announcement says. Most of what was taken was encrypted data, but some of it wasn’t, including contact info.

Those people who did have information exposed in the breach will be contacted by the ECB, and all passwords have been changed on the system “as a precaution.”

Hackers steal user data from the European Central Bank website, ask for money [PC World]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.