British authorities take down fraudulent platform Russian Coms

The National Crime Agency (NCA) has shut down Russian Coms, an online platform used by hundreds of cybercriminals to defraud unsuspecting victims worldwide.
Russian Coms offered so-called spoofing services. The platform allowed criminals to hide their identity by displaying pre-selected phone numbers, mostly of financial institutions, telecommunications companies, and law enforcement agencies.
The handset could only be used to make spoofed calls. To look like a real smartphone in case a police officer confiscated it, the device had numerous fake apps installed. To hide the criminal’s IP address, the handset included several VPN apps.
Initially, Russian Coms was available as a handset combined with a six-month contract costing between £1,200 and £1,400. Later, it appeared as a web app marketed through Snapchat, Instagram, and Telegram. Users had to pay £350 pounds per month for the platform’s services.
The service offered by Russian Coms included unlimited minutes, hold music, encrypted phone calls, instant handset wipes, international calls, voice changing services, and 24/7 helpdesk support.
This is how the scam worked. A fraudster would call a gullible victim, pretending to be his bank. The swindler would then try to convince him his account was used in fraudulent or criminal activities. The so-called employee tried to persuade the victim to transfer the money from his account to another account, supposedly to safeguard his savings.
Criminals would get their hands on the victim’s money in a number of ways. They either had access to the account to which the victim transferred his money, or they would request a new debit and credit card on the pretense the old one needed to be replaced.
“Fraud is a crime that can devastate lives, and anyone can be affected. That’s why this action from the NCA is so significant, shutting down an illegal platform used by hundreds of criminals, and disrupting the flow of funds that their networks rely on to operate. It also sends a vital message to others committing fraud – law enforcement is monitoring you, you will be caught, and you will be dealt with using the full force of the law,” Lord Sir David Hanson, Minister of State at the Home Office, says in a statement.
Russian Coms was founded in 2021 and is responsible for financial losses that amount to tens of millions. The NCA estimates that 170,000 people across the United Kingdom got scammed, with an average loss of £9,400. Calls were made to victims in 107 countries around the world.
Three individuals have been arrested by the NCA, including two men who are allegedly responsible for the creation and development of the online platform and software. Law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom and other European countries will take joint action against users in the upcoming months.
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