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Online Casino Target Of Cyber Attack

By GamblingKingz editorialPublished Updated

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.

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According to the Serious Crime Division, the men targeted the unnamed online casino, which employs 65 people and has an annual turnover of £30 million.

"With millions of pounds and potentially dozens of jobs at stake, 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 try and bully their victims into submission. But make no mistake, they may have used the latest technology, but this was simply good old-fashioned blackmail.

Casino Cyber Attack Threat

According to 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% stake in the company.

Shortly after the meeting, the victim contacted the police to report the extortion.  A proactive investigation was launched, but it was too late to stop the pair, who carried out their threatened attack, bringing the site to a standstill for 5 hours - costing the operator £15,000.

Smirnow and Surmacki were eventually arrested, tried and sentenced earlier this month.

Cooperation Between Authorities

The National Crime Agency's Director of Operations, Gary Chatfield, praised the co-operation between the various agencies in a case that resulted in the first prosecution of its kind.

"This sentence demonstrates the strength of the response that those involved in this type of organized crime can expect," he said. "It is an excellent example of the partnership between the NCA and Greater Manchester Police. We will continue to work with our colleagues, both nationally and internationally, to deliver results and disrupt criminal activity."

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