A executive director of one of Europe's largest retailers is currently being blackmailed by a hacker who has gained access to their private emails.
In a bizarre story which has been reported on by most media outlets in Germany, it has become clear that a supervisory board member of the Rewe Group is currently the target of an extortion attempt by a computer data thief.
In a statement released today, Germany's second largest retailer indicated that they had filed complaints with police against persons unknown.
"The Rewe Group has become aware about the fact that an unknown person has hacked the personal email account of a Supervisory Board member."
The hacker has threatened to release confidential data if Rewe not pay, but a specific sum of money was not mentioned. At the same time a spokesman for Rewe said that with criminal techniques, company data had been acquired, but in no such way as to exert pressure on the company.
Quoting informed sources, papers including Bild and de Local say the blackmailer intercepted information using the hacked e-mail account of a Supervisory Board member and retrieved messages which went to Rewe CEO Alain Caparros. These emails concerned expansion plans and strategic issues, according to reports.
Several news sources say that the hacker has not uncovered information relating scandalous or damaging business practices, but more the "usual internals" of a multinational company.
De Bild today published an email which the hacker sent to Caparros which said; "I am in possession of a lot of data. It would be a shame if this was to become public knowledge. Wouldn't you agree?".
The Cologne police have started preliminary investigations.
© 2014 - European Supermarket Magazine by Enda Dowling
