Online Casino Target Of Cyber Attack
A pair of Polish computer hackers have been jailed in the UK for attempting to blackmail a Manchester based online casino operator.
Piotr Smirnow and Paatryk Surmacki were sentenced to five years and four months in prison for demanding that 50% of the online casino be transferred to their names.
According to the Serious Crime Division, the men targeted the unnamed online casino which employs 65 staff and has an annual turnover of £30 million.
"With millions of pounds and potentially dozens of jobs involved, Smirnow and Surmacki were playing for incredibly high stakes and clearly knew what they were doing," said Detective Inspector Chris Mossop of the division. "They used their intimate, expert knowledge of online business to attempt to bully the victims into submission. But make no mistake, they may have been using the latest technology, but this was simply good old-fashioned blackmail."
Casino Cyber Attack Threat
According to the police, the pair contacted the casino operator in July and asked to meet him at Heathrow to discuss an interesting business proposition.
During the meeting, the men threatened to use their contacts with a notorious computer hacker to launch a cyber attack on the online casino's servers if they weren't given a 50% share in the company.
Soon after the meeting, the victim contacted the police to report the blackmail. A proactive investigation was launched, but it was too late to stop the pair who unleashed their threatened attack and halted operations on the site for 5 hours - costing the operator £15,000.
Smirnow and Surmacki were eventually arrested, tried and sentenced earlier this month.
Cooperation Between Authorities
The Director of operations for the National Crime Agency, Gary Chatfield complimented the cooperation between the different authorities in a case which led to the first prosecution of its kind.
"This verdict demonstrates the strength of response that those engaging in this type of organised crime can expect," he said. "It is an excellent example of the NCA's partnership with the Greater Manchester Police. We will continue to work with our colleagues, both nationally and internationally, to deliver results and interrupt criminal activity."