By Margi Murphy | Bloomberg
An accused teenage hacker who was arrested last month in California is suspected of being a member of the notorious cybercrime group Scattered Spider, according to several people familiar with the matter.
US prosecutors charged Remington Ogletree on Oct. 30 with wire fraud in relation to alleged crimes conducted from October 2023 through May 2024.
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Ogletree, 19, was arrested in California within a week of the charges, according to the government’s request for detention. He’s an expert in phishing, and is suspected of working with Scattered Spider by using this technique to gain access to corporations, said two people familiar with the matter. They declined to name those organizations.
Scattered Spider, a loosely organized cybercrime group, is infamous for terrorizing a string of large organizations in recent years. Authorities say it’s largely made up of young men in the US and the UK who use social engineering techniques to trick workers to gain access to company networks. Members of Scattered Spider have been tied to attacks on MGM Resorts International, Caesars Entertainment Inc., Coinbase Inc. and others.
The latest charges signal that law enforcement is continuing to pursue suspects tied to the hacking group.