Da Vinci Code blackmail

By JOE HILDEBRAND Work and Family Reporter
March 4, 2005
http://dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story.jsp?sectionid=1258&storyid=2755342

AN extortionist who threatened to kill building workers unless they received a $50 million ransom from construction giant Multiplex used a 400-year-old code to communicate with the company.

The Vigenere Code - made famous recently by best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code - was invented in 1586 and not broken until 1860.
The Daily Telegraph yesterday cracked a version of the code the blackmailer used in his threats to the company.

The extortionist has been communicating with Multiplex via newspaper ads.
It appears the extortionist, who threatened to kill crane drivers unless he was paid the ransom by Tuesday, made the company use the code to communicate with him.

The Daily Telegraph yesterday deciphered the message, which appeared as a public notice in The Weekend Australian on February 19.
In its encrypted form it read: "SVGUCSK BFPTAT NSKWEUM DS MZ YXTQA - LV@JXPLBGZCJ.VTS"
It could only be deciphered with the key word to translate the message.
The key, clearly developed by the extortionist, was an alphabetic loop which read: "DESTROYMULTIPLEXDESTROYMULTIPLEXDESTROYMULT"
When translated, the message is revealed as a bid by Multiplex to have the extortionist contact them via e-mail.
It reads: "PROBLEM PLEASE CONTACT ME ON EMAIL AR@MULTIPLEX.BIZ"
The vicious nature of the keyword again reinforces the belief in the industry that the extortionist is no cool criminal but an aggrieved sub-contractor out for revenge.
Sources had told The Daily Telegraph that the threat to have crane drivers shot by a sniper if the money was not paid by Tuesday was designed to cause chaos on construction sites.
Not only are cranes the backbone of big developments, if a crane operator is taken out the load could fall on other workers or passers-by, creating fear.

The Daily Telegraph revealed yesterday the extortionist had also written to the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union urging them to warn their members of the danger, in an apparent bid to shut down sites.
That note read something like: "Multiplex are bastards. They've been ripping off sub-contractors too long. They haven't paid compensation.
"Therefore you better go and tell the workers - because one of them is going to get killed."
In Victoria and Perth more than 1000 workers walked off the job, but NSW workers braved the threat. Interstate workers have since returned to work.
Police are still investigating the matter and are refusing to comment on progress, as is Multiplex.
But there is speculation the threat may be an elaborate hoax.
No Multiplex worker has been harmed since the deadline passed.
It was suggested the strife arose from its troubled $1 billion-plus Wembley Stadium development.
Multiplex said it had secured a $1.6 billion bank debt facility, expected to reduce costs.