There are more than 30,000 victims in Vyyhti, the Central Criminal Police estimates.
Psychotherapy Center Vastaamo’s extensive preliminary investigation related to the data breach is being completed at the end of the summer, says the Central Criminal Police.
The police suspect the 25-year-old Aleksanteri Tomminpoika Kivimäki for aggravated data breach, aggravated dissemination of information infringing private life and aggravated attempt at extortion. The man is also known as Julius Kivimäki.
Vastaamo’s skein is an exceptionally large crime complex that affects tens of thousands of Finns. According to the police’s estimate, there are more than 30,000 victims.
The preliminary investigation began in the fall of 2020, when Vastaamo made an investigation request to the police about a suspected data breach. Sensitive patient data had been accessed through the data breach and the company was blackmailed by publishing the data. Later that year, patient information was published on the dark Tor network, and Vastaamo’s customers also received blackmail messages.
Kivimäki was wanted and imprisoned in absentia on suspicion of crimes in October 2022. He was staying abroad at the time.
Kivimäki was caught in February 2023 in France. When Kivimäki was brought to Finland, a new detention trial was organized, and the man was imprisoned for the most probable reasons, on suspicion of Vastaamo crimes.
The police collects information from victims electronically
There are an exceptionally large number of victims in the criminal case, some of whom the police have still not reached. About 24,000 victims have filed a criminal complaint, and the police should offer all of them the opportunity to be heard.
Only about 8,600 people have given their statements electronically, and the police hope that more people would do it. In addition, the police hope that thousands of alleged victims would still file a criminal report.
According to the police, statements are needed by May 31.
The police do not have the right to find out about the victims from the leaked patient database. That is why victims are required to be proactive.
Imprisonment for the ex-CEO
Ville Tapio was sentenced to suspended imprisonment for a data protection crime. Antti Nikkanen
Vastaamo vyyhti has already been in court once. Former CEO of the company Ville Tapio was sentenced on April 18 to a three-month suspended prison sentence for a data protection crime.
Tapio was in charge of the company when the data breach and extortion took place.
According to the indictment, the first data breach took place already in 2018, when the company did not react until 2020 after patient data was leaked to the dark Tor network.
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The police give instructions
I am a victim of Vastamo’s data breach, what should I do to stay involved in the criminal process?
1. File a criminal complaint as soon as possible if you have been a customer of Vastaamo and you suspect that your private information has been shared online or you have received a blackmail message related to Vastaamo’s data breach. Only file a criminal report if you haven’t already done so before. The entity that is now being investigated is about the extortions that took place on 23-24 October 2020 and their attempts, as well as the dissemination of information that violates private life that took place in connection with them, i.e. notifications are requested in connection with these.
2. When the police have processed your criminal report, an electronic statement form will open for you in the police’s electronic transaction service. Filling out the statement form is equivalent to questioning the person concerned, which is part of the police’s preliminary investigation. Until the police department has registered the crime report, the electronic interrogation form cannot be filled out. It usually takes a few days to register a criminal complaint. If the form does not appear in the transaction service after a few days after submitting the crime report, contact the police department in your area.
3. Fill out the electronic statement form and add the necessary attachments to the form, including the blackmail message, if you have received one and have a copy of it. You can find advice on filling out the form on the websites of the police and the Crime Victims Emergency Service. You will also be helped by the telephone service of the Crime Victims Emergency Service and RIKUchat. First familiarize yourself with the written instructions.
4. Once you have filed a criminal report and filled out the electronic declaration form, you do not need to do anything else at this stage. The police will contact you if there is anything to add to the report or statement form.
The preliminary investigation of the data breach at the office began in 2020.