A 60 year-old man has been charged with hacking into a database and using the stolen information to blackmail sports-car maker Maserati.

Police arrested Bruce Mengler of Solana Beach, California last week after a federal court issued an arrest warrant on charges of computer intrusion and extortion.

Reports in the San Diego Union-Tribune, claim that Mengler compromised the web site of Maserati North America in March and obtained a list of customer details which the company had kept as part of a promotion.

The list reportedly included a number of individuals who had been asked to participate in a test drive programme in exchange for gift certificates at a local steakhouse.

On accessing the promotional list, Mengler reportedly emailed Maserati with a sample of several customer details and threatened to disclose the entire list if Maserati did not agree to pay him.

By the time Mengler was caught, he had reportedly extorted some $5,000 from the automaker.

Security experts warned that the case underscores the need for companies to secure all customer data, whether actual customer information or just promotional lists.

"If a hacker was able to gain access to customer information via the promotional website there is a clear warning here to all companies that they need to properly secure their public websites," wrote Sophos senior technology consultant Graham Cluley in a blog posting.

"It's all very well asking potential customers to enter their names and addresses in exchange for free steaks, but you'll be dealing with higher stakes if your website is not properly defended."