A soon as Meri-Tuuli Auer saw the subject line in her junk folder, she knew it was no ordinary spam email. It contained her full name and her social security number - the unique code Finnish people use to access public services and banking.
The email was full of details about Auer no one else should know. The sender knew she had been having psychotherapy through a company called Vastaamo. They said they had hacked into Vastaamo's patient database and that they wanted Auer to pay €200 (£175) in bitcoin within 24 hours, or the price would go up to €500 within 48 hours.
If she did not pay, they wrote, your information will be published for all to see, including your name, address, phone number and detailed patient records containing transcripts of your conversations with Vastaamo's therapists.
That's when the fear set in, Auer recalls. She took sick leave, isolating herself at home, terrified of what others would think.
Auer was one of 33,000 Vastaamo patients held to ransom in October 2020 by a nameless, faceless hacker. The breach constituted Finland's largest data theft, revealing deeply personal details, including discussions of suicide attempts, unfaithfulness, and trauma.
After learning about the hack, she bravely confronted her fears and ultimately shared her story with the world, realizing that resilience can be forged through adversity. Auer later published a book detailing her experiences, titled 'Everyone Gets to Know'.
