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An alleged member of the notorious Scattered Spider cybercrime group was extradited from Spain to the US on Wednesday, according to a Department of Justice official. Tyler Buchanan, a 23-year-old from Scotland, was arrested last year over his alleged involvement in the theft of sensitive data about American consumers and tens of millions in dollars worth of cryptocurrency. Buchanan, who was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, was detained in California after a court appearance, said the official.
An attorney representing Buchanan didn’t respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for the US Attorney’s Office in the Central District of California, where the charges were filed, declined to comment. Buchanan and four co-defendants are accused of fooling employees at numerous companies — including four major US telecommunication providers and one US cryptocurrency company — into sharing their login credentials.
That allowed the hackers to break into corporate systems, with the ultimate goal of stealing cryptocurrency from their customers, authorities said. The hackers allegedly stole data about customers, or accessed phone providers’ tools that helped them intercept text messages or calls. Then, they would target specific customers with phishing links in an attempt to breach cryptocurrency or financial accounts, according to the indictment.
Noah Urban, of Florida, Joel Evans, of North Carolina, and two Texas residents, Ahmed Elbadawy, and Evans Osiebo, were charged for their role in the cyberattacks, which includes hacks of at least 29 individuals. The defendants are members of the hacking group known as Scattered Spider, according to prosecutors. Court filings don’t identify the names of the hacking victims, but one of them was the online game developer Riot Games Inc.
, according to a person familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reported in December, when the indictment was unsealed. Members of Scattered Spider have been tied to attacks on MGM Resorts International, Caesars Entertainment Inc., Coinbase Global Inc.
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