A 24-year-old Scottish hacker is facing up to 22 years behind bars after admitting his role in a major cybercrime operation that targeted companies across the United States.
Tyler Buchanan, from Dundee, has been identified by prosecutors as a key figure behind the notorious cybercrime group Scattered Spider. The group is accused of orchestrating a sophisticated scheme to steal nearly £6 million in virtual currency from at least a dozen victim organizations.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the cyber gang reportedly comprising around 1,000 young individuals across the UK and the United States used large-scale text message phishing attacks to compromise corporate systems.
Investigators say the attackers impersonated legitimate companies and their suppliers, sending hundreds of deceptive messages to employees. These messages tricked recipients into revealing login credentials, which were then used to gain unauthorized access to sensitive systems.
Buchanan has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft as part of a plea agreement with U.S. authorities. Court documents reveal that the cybercrime campaign ran between September 2021 and April 2023, targeting telecommunications firms, IT service providers, cloud communications companies, cryptocurrency businesses, and individual victims.
Authorities disclosed that a device seized from Buchanan’s residence contained extensive evidence, including names and addresses of victims, cryptocurrency seed phrases, and login credentials linked to compromised accounts.
“The conspirators created phishing kits designed to capture login details entered by employees on fraudulent websites,” the Department of Justice said in a statement. “These stolen credentials were then transmitted to an online Telegram channel controlled by Buchanan and his associates.”
The group’s impact may have extended beyond financial theft. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has previously linked Scattered Spider to a disruptive cyberattack on UK retail giant Marks & Spencer in April 2025, which reportedly caused significant operational and financial losses.
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