UK – National Crime Agency shuts down major fraud platform responsible for 1.8 million scam calls

Fraud accounts for approximately 40% of all crime against individuals in England and Wales, and over 80% of it is believed to be technology-enabled. Between 2021 and 2024, over 1.3 million calls were made by Russian Coms users to 500,000 unique UK phone numbers. Of those who reported to Action Fraud, the average loss is over £9,400.

The National Crime Agency can reveal that they have shut down a platform used by hundreds of criminals to defraud victims across the world.

Russian Coms, established in 2021, is thought to be behind financial losses in the tens of millions. An estimated 170,000 people across the UK are believed to be victims.

The platform allowed criminals to hide their identity by appearing to call from pre-selected numbers, most commonly of financial institutions, telecommunications companies and law enforcement agencies. This enabled them to gain the trust of victims before stealing their money and personal details.

Between 2021 and 2024, over 1.3 million calls were made by Russian Coms users to 500,000 unique UK phone numbers. Of those who reported to Action Fraud, the average loss is over £9,400.

Three individuals have been arrested by the NCA, two of whom are believed to have been involved in the creation and development of the platform. They have been released on conditional bail. Law enforcement partners in the UK and overseas, supported by Europol, will take joint action against users over the coming months.

Russian Coms was available as a handset and, latterly, as a web app, marketed through Snapchat, Instagram and Telegram. According to adverts shared across social media, the service included “unlimited minutes”, “hold music”, “encrypted phone calls”, “instant handset wipe”, international calls, voice changing services, and 24/7 support.

An example of a typical scam involved offenders spoofing the number of a bank to gain the trust of a victim, before convincing them that their account had been subject to fraudulent activity. They would then be persuaded to transfer their money to another account in order to safeguard their savings.

The fraudsters were able to access victims’ money in a number of ways. They impersonated reputable companies and stole funds for goods which were never delivered; gained full access to bank accounts; and arranged for the collection of physical debit and credit cards from victims on the pretence that they needed replacing.

Victims of all ages suffered losses, and calls were made to individuals in 107 different countries around the world, including the USA, New Zealand, Norway, France and the Bahamas.

The handset could only be used to make spoofed calls. It was loaded with a number of fake applications that had no functionality, to make it look like an everyday smartphone if seized by law enforcement. This was in addition to several VPN apps, allowing the user to hide their IP address, and a burn app that instantly wiped the phone after being activated. A six-month contract cost between £1,200 and £1,400, depending on collection and delivery.

The web app was marketed as a “flagship service”, allowing full access to the Russian Coms web phone for £350 per month, to be paid using cryptocurrency.

In March, following months of intelligence gathering and painstaking investigative work, two men aged 26 and 28 were arrested in Newham, London, by NCA officers. They are believed to be the platform’s developers and administrators. That month, the platform was taken down.