Dundee man admits to involvement in multi-million cyber fraud scheme in the US
Tyler Buchanan is facing a maximum sentence of 22 years in prison
A 24-year-old man from Dundee has pleaded guilty to plotting to hack into the computer systems of at least a dozen companies in an attempt to steal around £6 million from victims in the United States.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) says Tyler Buchanan was part of a group that used phishing attacks via text messages to trick employees into handing over their login details.
Buchanan pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.
He also admitted the group planned to scam telecommunications companies, IT suppliers and virtual currency firms.
“The conspirators created a phishing kit that captured login credentials entered into the fraudulent phishing websites by a victim company’s employees,” the DOJ said in a statement.
“The stolen credentials were then transmitted to an online Telegram channel administered by Buchanan and another co-conspirator.”
Buchanan has been in US federal custody since April 2025.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on August 21 and faces a maximum sentence of 22 years in prison.
The DOJ said Police Scotland was one of several agencies providing the FBI with assistance as they carried out the investigation.