Finnish YouTuber charged with harassment over hidden-camera pranks

A 23-year-old Finnish content creator known online as Kotkamies is facing harassment charges after a series of hidden-camera pranks in which unsuspecting members of the public were provoked into angry confrontations, public broadcaster Yle reports.

In one video, the YouTuber—posing as a store employee—falsely accuses a middle-aged couple of shoplifting, demanding they raise their hands while he searches them. The couple, unaware the confrontation is staged, threaten to call police before Kotkamies and his cameraman leave the scene. The footage is later uploaded without the couple’s consent.

Another prank at a Tampere anime convention sees Kotkamies, dressed as Spider-Man, disrupting presentations and declaring the entire event a troll. When an attendee confronts him—calling him a “fucking loser” chasing views at others’ expense—Kotkamies celebrates the outburst as “viral clip material.”

Reactions to his videos have grown increasingly hostile. Online commenters have called for physical violence against him, with one post on the Ylilauta forum stating, “Hope someone beats him to death.” Others accuse him of targeting vulnerable groups, such as the elderly, for easy reactions.

Kotkamies defends his content as “business,” dismissing criticism that seeking attention makes him a bad person. “It’s ridiculous to say someone’s a piece of shit just because they want views,” he told Yle. He acknowledges, however, that his work has cost him friendships and forced him to separate his private life from his online persona.

Jarno Hietalahti, a humor researcher at Tampere University, compares Kotkamies to mythological tricksters who test societal boundaries. Unlike traditional pranksters, however, Kotkamies monetizes the outrage through ad revenue, with over 30,000 YouTube subscribers. “This isn’t just about laughter—it’s a public performance where the reaction itself is the product,” Hietalahti said.

Yle’s Perjantai documentary series will examine Kotkamies’ rise as “Finland’s most hated YouTuber” in an upcoming episode.