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High reported severity Involving minors Investigation Opened

Lappeenranta: police investigate a minor boy suspected of using AI to create nude images of several underage girls he knew

Southeast Finland Police (Kaakkois-Suomen poliisi) opened a preliminary investigation in August 2026 into a case in which a minor boy in Lappeenranta is suspected of using AI to create nude images of several underage girls; Ilta-Sanomat reported that he is suspected of using social media photos of girls he knew, while the investigator told the paper that police could not yet comment on the method. On 25 August the lead investigator told Yle there were tens of victims, possibly more than a hundred, all from the Lappeenranta area; on 28 August police said the number of complainants had proved significantly smaller than first estimated, without giving a figure. Police are investigating the case as aggravated distribution of an image depicting a child sexually, an offence that also covers making such images, and said they were not aware that the AI images had been spread or sold onward. Student welfare professionals offered conversation and crisis support to young people in the town. Police also said the suspect had been threatened and harassed and that someone had tried to break into the suspect's home. The AI tool is not identified; victims and suspect are not named.

AI system
Unidentified image tool
Occurred
Event date unknown
Reported
25 August 2026
Event location
Finland
What the AI did
Depicted or impersonated the person
Reported harm
Exploitation or Abuse
Whose AI use
Someone else’s AI use
Setting
Privacy · Relationships
Evidence
AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 5 sources, 2 underlying accounts
5 claims: 5 reported. 6 open questions
People reported harmed
Not reliably quantifiable from the sources

AI system as recorded: Unidentified AI tool that police suspect a minor boy used to create nude images of underage girls (Ilta-Sanomat also reported sexualised videos made from girls' social media photos); police have not said which tool (Yle, Ilta-Sanomat, MTV Uutiset, August 2026)

What Happened

Yle reported on 25 August 2026, crediting Iltalehti as first to report, that Southeast Finland Police were investigating a case in which a minor boy is suspected of having spread nude images of several young girls that were at least partly made with AI. The investigator told Yle that police learned of the case through a police call-out and that there were tens of victims, possibly more than a hundred; Yle reported that dozens of crime reports had been filed; the victims are minors and all appeared to be from the Lappeenranta area, where the suspect also lives. Yle reported it as the first deepfake investigation for the regional police's child crime unit. Ilta-Sanomat reported the same day that the boy is suspected of collecting photos of girls he knew from social media and using them to create AI-made sexualised images and videos, that police learned of the case at the weekend during a police call-out, and that the case had been discussed on Jodel and Reddit. On 26 August Yle reported that student welfare professionals were offering conversation and crisis support to young people, that upper secondary students had received a message about it through the Wilma school system, and that the regional wellbeing services wanted young people and those close to them to be able to get crisis support. A police release relayed by Ilta-Sanomat and MTV Uutiset on 28 August said the suspect and other parties had been heard, the complainants' identities were known, and their number had proved significantly smaller than first estimated. Police said they were not aware that the AI images had been spread or sold onward, that a name list circulating on social media was neither a list of complainants nor made by the suspect, and that the suspect had been threatened and harassed and someone had tried to break into the suspect's home. The case is investigated as aggravated distribution of an image depicting a child sexually, which also covers making such images.

Reported harm

Police suspect a minor boy of using AI to create nude images of several underage girls in Lappeenranta; police say they are not aware the images were spread or sold onward, and young people in the town were offered crisis support (Yle, Ilta-Sanomat, MTV Uutiset, 25 to 28 August 2026).

Outcome

Ongoing

Southeast Finland Police opened a preliminary investigation, first under the offence of distributing an image depicting a child sexually and by 28 August under the aggravated form, which also covers making such images. Police said they had heard the suspect and other parties and would contact the complainants as the investigation proceeds. Police recorded crime reports over threats against the suspect and an attempted break-in at the suspect's home. No charging decision is reported.

What remains unknown

  • Which AI tool was used, how the images were made and how many images or videos were made; on 25 August the investigator told Ilta-Sanomat that police could not yet comment on the method.
  • The number of girls depicted; police revised the first estimate downward without publishing a figure.
  • When the images were made; police learned of the case at a weekend in August 2026 shortly before the 25 August reports.
  • Whether any image was shared beyond the suspect; the first reports described spreading, and the police release says police are not aware of onward spread or sale.
  • The outcome of the preliminary investigation.
  • Whether any complainant is an adult; on 25 August police said the offence would be investigated as unauthorised distribution of a sexual image for any adult complainants (Yle) and that adults could be among the victims (Ilta-Sanomat).

What the evidence supports

AI involvement: reported. Police suspect the boy of creating nude images of the girls with AI (police release relayed by MTV Uutiset); Yle reported on 25 August that police were investigating nude images at least partly made with AI, and Ilta-Sanomat reported that he is suspected of using girls' social media photos to create AI-made sexualised images and videos. The tool is not identified and the suspicion is untested.

5 claims: 5 reported. What the statuses mean

Reported Southeast Finland Police are investigating a case in which a minor boy is suspected of using AI to create nude images of several underage girls in Lappeenranta; police learned of the case through a police call-out. Ilta-Sanomat reported that he is suspected of collecting social media photos of girls he knew and using them to create AI-made sexualised images and videos; the investigator told the paper that police could not yet comment on the method.

Causal attribution. Police suspicion at the preliminary investigation stage, as reported; untested.

  • mtvuutiset.fi(opens in new tab) supports · Finnish
    'Alaikäisen pojan epäillään luoneen tekoälyllä alastonkuvia useista alaikäisistä tytöistä Lappeenrannassa, tiedottaa Kaakkois-Suomen poliisi.'
  • is.fi(opens in new tab) supports · Finnish
    'Kaakkois-Suomen poliisi tutkii tapausta, jossa alaikäisen pojan epäillään keränneen sosiaalisesta mediasta tuntemiensa tyttöjen kuvia ja käyttäneen niitä tekoälyllä tehtyjen seksuaalissävytteisten kuvien ja videoiden luomiseen.'; 'Poliisi kertoo saaneensa tiedon tapauksesta viikonloppuna poliisitehtävän yhteydessä.'; 'tekotapaan tai uhrien tarkempaan määrään ei voida ottaa esitutkinnan tässä vaiheessa kantaa'
  • yle.fi(opens in new tab) supports · Finnish
    'Epäillyn rikoksen uhrit ovat alaikäisiä.'; 'Katajalan mukaan tällä hetkellä näyttää siltä, että kaikki uhrit ovat Lappeenrannan alueelta. Myös epäilty tekijä asuu Lappeenrannassa.'
Reported On 25 August the investigator estimated tens of victims, possibly more than a hundred; on 28 August police said the number of complainants had proved significantly smaller than first estimated, without giving a figure.

Causal attribution. Police estimates; the later release supersedes the first estimate.

  • yle.fi(opens in new tab) supports · Finnish
    '– Uhreja on useita kymmeniä, jopa yli sata, sanoo Katajala.'
  • is.fi(opens in new tab) supports · Finnish
    'Esitutkinnan edetessä asianomistajien määrä on tarkentunut, ja se on osoittautunut merkittävästi pienemmäksi kuin tutkinnan alkuvaiheessa arvioitiin.'
  • mtvuutiset.fi(opens in new tab) supports · Finnish
    'Asianomistajien määrä osoittautui poliisin mukaan merkittävästi pienemmäksi kuin tutkinnan alkuvaiheessa arvioitiin.'
Reported Police are investigating the case as aggravated distribution of an image depicting a child sexually, an offence that also covers making such images, and said on 28 August that they were not aware that the AI-made images had been spread or sold onward.

Causal attribution. Police statements; the 25 August report described the suspicion as spreading the images, and the 28 August release says police are not aware of any onward spread or sale.

  • is.fi(opens in new tab) supports · Finnish
    'Tapausta tutkitaan tällä hetkellä rikosnimikkeellä törkeä lasta seksuaalisesti esittävän kuvan levittäminen.'; 'Poliisin tiedossa ei esimerkiksi ole, että tekoälyllä luotuja kuvia olisi levitetty tai myyty eteenpäin.'
  • mtvuutiset.fi(opens in new tab) supports · Finnish
    'Nimikkeen tunnusmerkistöön sisältyy levittämisen ohella myös tällaisten kuvien valmistaminen.'
  • yle.fi(opens in new tab) contradicts · Finnish
    'Kaakkois-Suomen poliisi tutkii tapausta, jossa alaikäisen pojan epäillään levittäneen ainakin osittain tekoälyllä luotuja alastonkuvia useista nuorista tytöistä.'
Reported Student welfare professionals offered conversation and crisis support to young people over the case, and upper secondary students received a message about it through the Wilma school system.

Causal attribution. Regional wellbeing services' account as reported by Yle; no statement from the girls or their families is reported.

  • yle.fi(opens in new tab) supports · Finnish
    'Opiskeluhuollon ammattilaiset tarjoavat tukea nuorille, jotka haluavat keskustella laajasta deepfake- eli syväväärennöstapauksesta Lappeenrannassa.'; 'Lukiolaisille on lähtenyt asiasta Wilma-viesti.'; 'Tärkeintä on varmistaa, että nuorilla ja heidän läheisillään on mahdollisuus saada tarvittaessa keskustelu- ja kriisitukea'
Reported Police said the suspect had been threatened and harassed because of the case and that someone had tried to break into the suspect's home, and that a name list circulating on social media was neither a list of complainants nor made by the suspect.

Causal attribution. Police release as relayed by two outlets.

  • mtvuutiset.fi(opens in new tab) supports · Finnish
    'Epäiltyyn on kohdistettu tapauksen vuoksi uhkailua ja muuta häirintää. Lisäksi epäillyn kotiin on yritetty tunkeutua.'; 'Sosiaalisessa mediassa levinnyt nimilista ei ole epäillyn laatima.'; 'Kyseinen nimilista ei myöskään ole luettelo tapauksen asianomistajista.'
  • is.fi(opens in new tab) supports · Finnish
    'Poliisin tietoon on tullut, että epäiltyyn on kohdistettu tapauksen vuoksi uhkailua ja muuta häirintää.'

Sources

5 sources inspected, from 2 underlying accounts. Sources that repeat one account do not corroborate each other.

How the sources were read, and where the events happened

Read live in Finnish on 2026-10-02; Yle (Etelä-Karjala), published 25 August 2026 10:02, updated 26 August. Quotes the police investigator; credits Iltalehti as first to report. Translations by the reviewer. Applies to s1.

Read live in Finnish on 2026-10-02; Ilta-Sanomat, 25 August 2026, with the investigator's comments to IS and Iltalehti's reporting. Same police origin as s1. Applies to s2.

Read live in Finnish on 2026-10-02; Yle, 26 August 2026, on crisis support, quoting the regional wellbeing services by email. Translations by the reviewer. Applies to s3.

Read live in Finnish on 2026-10-02; Ilta-Sanomat, 28 August 2026, relaying the police release; carries a correction of 28 August on when the aggravated offence label was first used. Applies to s4.

Read live in Finnish on 2026-10-02; MTV Uutiset, 28 August 2026, relaying the same police release as s4. Applies to s5.

Event countries: Finland. Affected-person countries: Finland. Court countries: Unknown.

The investigator told Yle that all victims appear to be from the Lappeenranta area and that the suspect also lives in Lappeenranta; Southeast Finland Police lead the investigation. No court proceedings are reported.

Reviewed for publication 2026-10-02: Published as a core case (depicted_or_impersonated) consistent with existing school-age AI-imagery rows such as Edmonton and Colchester: Southeast Finland Police are investigating a minor suspected of creating AI nude images of several underage girls in Lappeenranta, and young people were offered crisis support. Two statements from the same police department (25 August interviews, 28 August release) and one wellbeing-services account, read in Finnish across Yle, Ilta-Sanomat and MTV Uutiset; every claim is reported. Victims and suspect are minors and are not named. No event date is recorded: the sources do not say when the images were made, and police learned of the case at a weekend shortly before the 25 August reports.

People described

Several underage girls in the Lappeenranta area, reported to include girls the boy knew and online acquaintances; number revised downward by police and not published; not identified

People reported harmed in this case

Not reliably quantifiable from the sources

On 25 August the investigator estimated tens of victims, possibly more than a hundred; on 28 August police said the number of complainants had proved significantly smaller than first estimated and gave no figure. Unquantified, numeric placeholders 0.

Counted once within this case. The same person may appear in other cases. This count does not establish AI causation.

Tags

#ai-csam#deepfakes#minor-perpetrators#lappeenranta#finland#police-investigation

Cite this case

Compiled per our published methodology: verification statuses, sourcing standards, and corrections process.

APA

NOPE. (2026). Lappeenranta: police investigate a minor boy suspected of using AI to create nude images of several underage girls he knew. AI incidents. https://nope.net/incidents/2026-lappeenranta-minor-suspected-of-ai-nude-images-of-girls

BibTeX

@misc{2026_lappeenranta_minor_suspected_of_ai_nude_images_of_girls,
  title = {Lappeenranta: police investigate a minor boy suspected of using AI to create nude images of several underage girls he knew},
  author = {NOPE},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {AI incidents},
  url = {https://nope.net/incidents/2026-lappeenranta-minor-suspected-of-ai-nude-images-of-girls}
}

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