Russian mafia gang targets betting firm

A Russian mafia gang used a sophisticated internet attack to cripple an Australian sports betting agency, forcing the owner to pay tens of thousands of dollars in ransom, it was reported.

The Australian newspaper said Multibet.com was just one of many Australian victims of the extortion racket that disabled the websites of online betting agencies around the world, costing them millions in turnover.

Multibet's owner, Terry Lillis was quoted as saying the gang sent their ransom notes by email asking for $US20,000 ($A28,553) to be sent to a Latvian bank account.