⏱ 2 min read
A brazen UK hacker, Tyler Robert Buchanan, 24, has pleaded guilty to stealing at least $8 million in virtual currency from US companies via phishing attacks. Buchanan, a resident of Dundee, Scotland, hacked into the computer systems of at least a dozen companies via text message phishing attacks.
Between September 2021 and April 2023, Buchanan and his co-conspirators conducted Short Message Service (SMS) phishing attacks, sending hundreds of SMS phishing messages to the mobile telephones of victim company employees. The messages appeared to be from the victim company or a contracted IT or BPO supplier.
The phishing websites lured the recipients into providing confidential information, including personal identifying information and account usernames and passwords. Buchanan and his co-conspirators then used the stolen credentials to access the accounts of victim company employees and steal confidential company information.
Buchanan has been in federal custody since April 2025 and faces sentencing in California federal court.
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📋 Key Facts
- Crime: Cybercrime
- Defendant: California
- Location: CA
- Source: DOJ Press Release
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