Therapy patients blackmailed for cash after clinic data breach

Many patients of a large psychotherapy clinic in Finland have been contacted individually by a blackmailer, after their data was stolen.

The data appears to have included personal identification records and notes about what was discussed in therapy sessions.

Vastaamo is a nationwide practice with about 20 branches and thousands of patients.

The clinic has advised those affected to contact the police.

It said it believed the data had been stolen in November 2018, with a further potential breach in March 2019.

‘Great crisis’
Vastaamo said in a statement it was cooperating with the police.

But its media centre’s email address is not working.

About 300 records have already been published on the dark web, according to the Associated Press news agency.

On its website, the clinic calls the attack “a great crisis”.

‘No shame’
It has set up a helpline and is offering all victims one free therapy session, the details of which will not be recorded.

The Finnish government held an emergency meeting on Sunday night, with Interior Minister Maria Ohstalo calling the situation “exceptional”, news site Yle reported.

Mikko Hypponen, from cyber-security company F-Secure, tweeted the attacker “had no shame”.

“This is a very sad case for the victims, some of which are under age,” he added.

‘Extremely uncomfortable’
Jere – who asked for his surname not be published – told BBC News someone calling themselves “the ransom guy” had told him: