Teen Hacker Linked to Scattered Spider Arrested in California
A teenager from California, suspected of involvement in hacking activities, was arrested last month and is believed to be a member of the notorious cybercriminal group Scattered Spider. According to Bloomberg, on October 30, the U.S. Attorney’s Office charged 19-year-old Remington Oltree with wire fraud, with the alleged offenses occurring between October 2023 and May 2024.
Court documents reveal that Oltree was apprehended in California within a week of the charges being filed. Authorities allege that he specialized in phishing attacks, leveraging this method to infiltrate corporate systems. It is further claimed that he operated as part of Scattered Spider, although the names of specific victim companies remain undisclosed.
Oltree is also suspected of ties to an international SIM-swapping network, whose members reportedly coordinate via Telegram and Discord to hijack victims’ phone numbers and steal cryptocurrency.
The case is being heard in federal court in New Jersey. On November 19, Oltree was released on a $50,000 bond under stringent conditions, including the surrender of all electronic devices and a prohibition against registering or maintaining internet domains. Additionally, he is barred from using messaging platforms like Telegram and Signal or participating in online gambling. The charges against him remain under seal.
Scattered Spider, also known by aliases such as 0ktapus, Scatter Swine, and Octo Tempest, is a group of predominantly English-speaking hackers with varying levels of expertise. The group’s flexible organizational structure makes its activities challenging to track and attribute to specific individuals. A high-profile attack on MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment last year, which caused significant disruptions to casinos and hotels in Las Vegas, bolstered the group’s notoriety in the cybercrime community.
Law enforcement agencies have intensified efforts against suspected members of Scattered Spider. Previously, the U.S. Department of Justice charged five alleged members of the group, accusing them of stealing millions of dollars from cryptocurrency wallets using stolen credentials between September 2021 and April 2023. Both individuals and companies were among their targets.
In June, Spanish authorities arrested a key member of Scattered Spider—a 22-year-old British citizen—while he was attempting to board a flight to Italy. The following month, a 17-year-old suspect was detained in the United Kingdom.
The FBI has previously suggested that Scattered Spider consists predominantly of young individuals, including teenagers. This youthful demographic, coupled with a certain degree of impulsive zeal, is believed to contribute to the group’s particularly aggressive tactics.
