Re: Thoughts: paying hackers to get accounts back: ethical or not?
I think you already answered you own question. This will most definitely lead to more account hacks and even though you mentioned you would keep it a fixed fee, it could also lead to higher ranked accounts(even if we use new passwords every so often to help prevent hacks) being targets for a higher ransom/reward/bounty.
Possibly. But making $25 from a hacked account can be done already, while the account value drops hard once it has red trust.This way the original account holder lose the activation/confirmation code 
It's the "click this link to lock the account" that makes me wait 2 weeks.I guess you could set up a specific escrow for this particular situation but what are you going to do for awareness? Offer your service to every "help account lost" thread?
I was thinking of one thread in Meta where people can report their hacked account with evidence.Quote
So hacker gets account and sells it to a spammer (often plagiarist) and get paid, then the spammer that bought the account gets screwed when his bought account gets red trust but he can get $25 of his money back if he gives the account back. He might do it if he knows the deal is available.
My thoughs exactly 
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What do DTs have to do with it? It's just $25 but DT doesn't equal escrow..
Red trust from DT is the part that makes the account worthless for most signature spam purposes. Anyone who can't be trusted with $25 shouldn't be on DT anyway.Quote
It might make you look like you are running an account hacking racket though. If you are profiting off of it and have success it might look like you are the one getting the accounts to make a few bucks as a tagged hacked account is basically worthless other than this ransom you are thinking of.
I realized this possibility after I opened this topic. If my motives are questioned, I won't do it.