Were the accounts on Ashley Madison proven to be fake?

In the aftermath of the 2015 data breach of Ashley Madison, a website that marketed itself as facilitating extramarital affairs, a considerable amount of analysis was conducted by both the company and independent researchers. It was revealed that a substantial number of profiles on the platform were indeed fake. The investigation uncovered evidence that suggested the presence of chatbots and fake accounts operated by the company itself, used potentially to entice male users into paying for credits to communicate with what they believed were real women interested in having an affair. This revelation of fake profiles created a significant backlash and tarnished the credibility of Ashley Madison, resulting in lawsuits and a call for stricter regulations regarding authenticity and transparency for similar sites.