Finnish authorities traced Monero transactions tied to Vastaamo hack
Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation reportedly traced Monero transactions in connection with the criminal trial of Julius Aleksanteri Kivimäki and the Vastaamo hack.
Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation reportedly tracked Monero (XMR) transactions as part of an investigation over Julius Aleksanteri Kivimäki’s criminal trial. Kivimäki is accused of hacking a private mental health firm’s database and demanding ransom payments in cryptocurrencies.
According to local media reports, prosecutors dropped on Jan. 22 new evidence showing a crypto trail leading to Kivimäki’s bank account. In October 2022, the hacker allegedly demanded 40 Bitcoin (~450,000 euros at the time) in exchange for not publishing records of over 33,000 patients from psychotherapy service provider Vastaamo.
When the ransom was not paid, Kivimäki allegedly proceeded to target individual patients. As per the Finnish police, the hacker received payments in Bitcoin, sent the funds to an exchange not compliant with Know Your Customer (KYC) guidelines before swapping for Monero and then transferring the funds to a dedicated Monero wallet.
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