Once a teenage cyber thug, Julius Kivimäki, infamously known as Zeekill, has now become one of Europe’s most wanted criminals. His journey to notoriety began at the tender age of 13, when he rose to prominence in a network of anarchic teenage hacking gangs. His 11-year cyber-crime spree has now come to an end with his imprisonment for blackmailing 33,000 therapy patients using their stolen session notes.
Kivimäki’s modus operandi was simple yet devastating. He would steal therapy session notes and then blackmail the patients, threatening to publish their intimate details online if they did not pay a ransom within 24 hours. The scale of his operation was staggering, with 33,000 therapy patients falling victim to his scheme. This case is considered the largest in terms of victim count in Finland’s criminal history.
The impact of Kivimäki’s actions was immediate and far-reaching. The victims ranged from children to adults, with their deepest secrets now at the mercy of this ruthless blackmailer. The stolen database contained sensitive conversations on a variety of subjects, from extra-marital affairs to confessions of crimes. The fallout was so severe that it led to some victims taking their own lives after their records were published online.
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