TakeawaysIn the world of encrypted communications and international crime syndicates, stories like that of Maxim Rivkin serve as good reminders of how technology can be weaponized for illicit gains until it backfires. Maxim promoted ANOM, an encrypted messaging app that became part of a large sting operation against criminal organizations worldwide. ANOM was put on specially modified Android phones and appeared to be a secure chat app that kept conversations private. It offered features like remote wipes and no GPS tracking. Criminal groups, especially drug traffickers, used these phones to plan shipments, deals, and attacks without police listening in. Because regular phones and apps are easy to tap, they paid for what they believed was total privacy, which allowed them to run their operations across borders.
So, who is Maxim Rivkin? He’s a Swedish ga ngster wanted by U.S. authorities for international drug trafficking, extortion, money laundering and planning to kidnap and kill his enemies. His activities led the U.S. Department of Justice to offer a $5 million reward for information that leads to his arrest. He was known online as "Microsoft" and is described as a key figure in promoting ANOM, encrypted devices that were sold to users across hundreds of organized crime groups. The app was secretly run as a law enforcement sting and they intercepted messages that later helped lead to 800 arrests in Operation Trojan Shield in 2021.
Meet “Microsoft” Maxim’s Online Identity
The online figure called “Microsoft” became well-known in the world of secret messaging. This person was active on many websites and in trusted criminal groups, showing both computer skills and inside information. These skills became even more important after the Phantom and EncroChat cases. Later, he helped spread ANOM devices across Europe and other places, putting himself at the center of a major police investigation that caused law enforcement worldwide to ask who was Maximilian Rivkin "Microsoft"? A Swedish criminal listed on the FB I wanted list for international drug trafficking, money laundering, extortion and conspiracy to kidnap and murder enemies. His crimes resulted in a 5$ million reward offered by the U.S. Department of Justice for information that leads to his arrest. He was a central figure in promoting ANOM encrypted devices, selling them to hundreds of organized crime groups worldwide, operating online under the aliases "Malmo", "Teamsters", "Malmö" and "Max". The platform was secretly operated as a law enforcement sting named Operation Trojan Shield, which intercepted the criminal organizations' conversations and led to over 800 arrests in 2021. Under that “Microsoft” name, Rivkin didn’t just sell the phones; he made sure they fit into his own drug work, talking to people across Europe and helping customize them to their specific needs.
The Rise of ANOM and Rivkin's Role
ANOM started after another encrypted phone company called Phantom Secure got shut down in 2018. One of the people who used to sell for Phantom, a guy going by Afgoo, was in trouble with the law. To get a lighter sentence, he offered to make a new app and give the FBI a way to sneak in and access messages, photos, user data, and IP addresses. The FBI said yes, and with help from Australian police, they built ANOM with a hidden backdoor right from the start. It looked like a regular secure chat app on modified Android phones, but every message got copied to servers the police controlled. At first, they tested it with just a few devices in Australia, and it worked because criminals started using it right away for drug talks. By 2019, more people got involved, and after another app called EncroChat got hacked in 2020, a lot of users switched to ANOM, thinking it was safer. That’s when sales took off, with over 12,000 phones sold in more than 100 countries. Each phone costs about $2,000 for six months of use, and criminals pay in cash or crypto to keep it hidden.
This is where Maxim Rivkin comes in. He stepped up as a big promoter in Europe, especially after meeting Hakan Ayik, a big drug guy from Australia living in Turkey. They got together in Istanbul in June 2020 and decided to push ANOM hard. Rivkin, using his “Microsoft” name, told everyone it was better and cheaper than rivals like Sky. He gave out free phones to get people hooked and built a network of sellers in places like Sweden, Spain, and Serbia. Without knowing it, he was helping the FBI by getting more criminals to use the app they controlled. Rivkin even tried to take over parts of the supply by grabbing the black boxes that made the phones, making sure he stayed on top.
Building a Criminal Empire in Europe
Rivkin wasn’t just selling encrypted phones, he was trafficking drugs himself. He ran a group called “the Firm” in Sweden, making amphetamines in hidden labs. One main spot was in the basement of a countryside house near a lake, where they could make over a ton of the stuff each month. He used ANOM to run everything, like telling cooks what to do, setting up drops in parking lots where couriers would leave drugs in unlocked cars, and selling on the dark web, where his ratings were almost perfect, like 4.99 out of 5.
As “Microsoft,” Rivkin recruited resellers, built European distribution networks, and integrated ANOM into his amphetamine empire. He partnered with people like Hakan Ayik to expand sales, using threats to enforce loyalty and undercut competitors like Sky. Intercepted messages exposed a dual persona, sometimes charming and sometimes threatening, as he coordinated drug labs and shipments. His network reached into Denmark, Norway, Paris, and more. For example, he set up smuggling with cocaine hidden in banana shipments to Hong Kong or hash in cucumbers. One big plan was a speedboat drop off Sweden’s coast, where they pulled up 400 kilos from the sea, but lost some and had to count it all out with photos to prove it.
Rivkin was always online, speaking Swedish, English, Serbian, and more, and he had connections he had established while in prison, like with a guy named Tommy Bogebrink. He used companies that dealt in timber or vegetables as covers to move drugs in furniture or tulip boxes. But he could get angry fast. Messages show him threatening to shoot people who sold other phones or didn’t pay up. In one chat, he talked about killing a debtor named Salah by having someone pretend to deliver food and use a gun with a silencer. He offered 600,000 Swedish kronor for it, saying it had to look like a robbery.
His empire made a lot of money, but it also brought risks. He had to deal with lost shipments, like when 70 kilos of cocaine sank in the sea near Japan, or when police started picking off his couriers. Still, he kept pushing ANOM, telling people it was run by criminals and super safe, even sharing his own user ID to build trust.
The Honeypot Operation
For a long time, organized crime groups have relied on encrypted communication to protect themselves. Drug traffickers, money launderers, and international networks used secure phones and private messaging apps to plan their activities without law enforcement knowing. When authorities struggled to break into these systems, they changed their strategy. Rather than trying to crack existing encrypted networks, they built one themselves, which all collapsed in a single coordinated operation. What was operation trojan shield? It was an international sting led by the FBI and law enforcement agencies in 16 countries from 2018 to 2021 that led to over 800 arrests, seizure of 38 tons of drugs and $48 million in cash. Authorities distributed and operated encrypted devices called ANOM to secretly monitor and record criminals' conversations. The criminals believed the chats were secure and talked freely without any codes incriminating themselves and didn’t know the messages would later be used as evidence against them in court. The operation had other names too, like Operation Ironside in Australia. They used special Android phones with a system called ArcaneOS that looked safe but sent copies of every message to police servers. Over time, they grabbed more than 27 million messages, and on June 8, 2021, raids happened all over the world. No one got arrested in the U.S. because of rules about privacy, but it broke up groups everywhere else.
The Sting Exposes: Intercepted Plots and Downfall
The whole time, the FBI was watching everything through that backdoor. They had a system where messages went to servers in other countries first to follow U.S. laws, then got shared with partners like the Swedish police. In Sweden, they set up special rooms to listen in, and it led to quick action. For instance, in December 2020, they tracked a courier swap from ANOM chats and raided the amphetamine lab, grabbing 20 kilos and arresting workers like Pawel Brzozowiec and Michal Glowka.
Maxim Rivkin's messages gave away plots, like planning to kill people or when big drug loads were being moved. He talked about “Mexico-style” hits, meaning brutal violence, and even sent photos of labs or drug bricks to prove things. When stuff went wrong, like a shipment of 120 kilos getting partly seized in April 2021 with 85 kilos taken, he blamed leaks on rival phones like Sky. But he ignored warnings, even after a site called “ANOM Exposed” popped up in March 2021, saying the app might be hacked.
Rivkin’s push to control more of ANOM backfired, too. He and Ayik tried a “coup” by taking over European supplies, but it made other sellers mad and messed up the flow. Users started calling ANOM “jinxed” because so many got caught, and Rivkin got nicknamed “the Fool” for his mistakes. By the end, he was losing money fast from seized drugs and unpaid debts, admitting in chats he’d never had so many losses before. The big global raids on June 8, 2021, stopped a lot of his plans, like shootings and explosions in Sweden tied to his group. It also cut down on violence overall after EncroChat and ANOM got exposed. This downfall was like a chain reaction. Rivkin fled Sweden for places like Istanbul, but the damage was done. His empire shrank, and police kept using the info to make more busts even after the main operation ended.
Want the Reward? Here’s How to Recognize Him
Maxim was born on July 14, 1983, in Sweden, but he has Serbian roots. He goes by other names like Maximilian Rivkin or Milos Jankovic. People who know him say he has scars on his left knee and on the fingers of his right hand, plus a tattoo of three monkeys on his right arm that shows “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.” He’s about 6 feet 1 inch tall with brown hair and eyes. Before getting deep into crime, not much is out there about his early life, but by his 30s, he was running big drug operations in Sweden and beyond.
This bounty, announced in 2023 amid ongoing fallout from the ANOM sting, underscores the collaborative efforts between U.S. and Swedish law enforcement. Rivkin's evasion has frustrated investigators, who urge tips through confidential channels like FBI email or local embassies. How much is the bounty for Maxim Rivkin? A $5 million reward is offered by the U.S. Department of State and the Swedish Police for any information that will lead to the arrest of Maxim Rivkin, for his involvement in international drug trafficking, money laundering, extortion and planning to kidnap and murder his enemies. In recent years, authorities have escalated their pursuit of Rivkin, showing the severity of his alleged global crimes and the threat he poses to international security.
Life on the Run
After the 2021 takedown, Rivkin has stayed out of sight, dodging arrest even with all the attention. Where is Maxim Rivkin Now? He’s still wanted, likely hiding in Turkey or spots with old criminal ties, using what’s left of his contacts to stay low.
Police think he might be in Istanbul, where he met Ayik before, or maybe back in Europe under a different name. The $5 million bounty is meant to get people talking, and tips can come in without risk. Rivkin lost a lot financially from all the seized shipments and people not paying him back, so he’s probably not as strong as before. But with his skills in tech and languages, he could blend in somewhere. Swedish and U.S. officials keep watching, and they’ve warned against helping him.
