In an unassuming terraced house in Luton, 22-year-old Skylar Dalziel led a secret double life. To her neighbors, she was a reclusive carer devoted to her disabled father. In reality, Dalziel was orchestrating an audacious scheme to hack and sell unreleased tracks from some of the world’s biggest music stars.
Dalziel, now pictured for the first time, targeted over 100 high-profile artists, including Taylor Swift, Adele, Drake, and Shawn Mendes. Over a span of two years, she hacked into cloud storage accounts, amassing a staggering collection of over 290,000 unreleased songs.
Her illicit trade saw new Adele tracks sold for £1,650 each, Drake songs for £2,000, and Coldplay hits for £400. Her criminal reach extended to major record labels, successfully breaching the security of Universal Music Group, Sony Music Group, and Warner Records.
£42,000 in Profits and a Dark Web Network
Investigators traced profits of at least £42,000 between April 2021 and January 2023. However, police believe this is only a fraction of the total earnings, much of which was routed through a global hacking network that taught Dalziel the tools of the trade.
When officers raided her £220,000 home, they uncovered a spreadsheet documenting her sales on the dark web. The records revealed that Dalziel retained just a third of the proceeds, with the rest funneled to associates who processed payments in Bitcoin. The group used a cryptocurrency tumbler to obscure transactions, complicating efforts to track the flow of funds.
Superfan Message Led to Arrest
Dalziel’s downfall came when she contacted her music idol, Upsahl, on Instagram. Attempting to befriend the American singer, she revealed that she had found 40 of her tracks for sale online. This “creepy” message, as described by Detective Constable Daryl Fryatt, led directly to her arrest.
“This organised crime group groomed her, teaching her the skills to make her useful to them,” said DC Fryatt. “She had a turbulent upbringing, didn’t go to university, and taught herself IT skills.”
Suspended Sentence Sparks Debate
Dalziel pleaded guilty in October to nine copyright offences and four computer misuse offences. Last week, Luton Crown Court handed her a 21-month suspended sentence and ordered her to complete 180 hours of unpaid work.
US investigators hope Dalziel’s case will provide leads to dismantle the broader hacking network. Meanwhile, her story underscores the risks posed by organised cybercrime and the vulnerabilities of the music industry in the digital age.
