NCA shuts down Russian fake caller app in UK, thousands duped

The National Crime Agency (NCA) of the United Kingdom, on Friday, August 2, 2024, shut down an online platform used by criminals to defraud thousands of people worldwide

The agency claims that this operation will help protect potential victims from further scams. 

NCA reported that fraudsters used the Russian Coms platform to impersonate bank or telecom company callers.

Between 2021 and 2024, Russian Coms users made over 1.3 million calls to 500,000 UK phone numbers.

About 170,000 people in the UK are thought to be victims, with an average reported loss of over £9,400 each.

The NCA reported that the platform had been used to call people in 107 countries.

However, they did not provide an estimate of the total number of victims worldwide.

The agency said it had arrested three people involved with the platform, who have now been released on conditional bail.

About Russian Coms

The Russian Coms platform was established in 2021.

It started as a handset, but later became a web app, letting users make calls that appeared to come from a reputable company.

Some of the scams involved criminals deceiving a bank’s phone number to appear as legitimate callers.

They would then convince the victim to transfer money out of their account.

Scammers also pretended to be companies to steal money for goods never delivered.

The phone was designed only for making spoofed calls, even though it had fake apps to make it appear like a regular smartphone, said the NCA.

The web app costs £350 per month and payments should be made using cryptocurrency.

NCA statistics on fraud

The NCA reported that fraud now makes up roughly 40% of all crimes against individuals in England and Wales, with more than 80% of these frauds thought to involve technology.

Adrian Searle, the director of the National Economic Crime Centre within the NCA said: “Criminals are increasingly using technology to carry out fraud.

“And other crimes on an industrial scale, causing very real harm to victims in the UK and across the world.”

“The NCA and our partners here in the UK and overseas are going after both the criminals and the technology they exploit.”

Earlier this year, police dismantled a gang suspected of using a technology service to send fake text messages and steal from victims.

The Labhost site lets scammers, even those without technical skills, flood victims with messages meant to trick them into making online payments.

About NCA

NCA is a national law enforcement agency in the United Kingdom.

It is the UK’s lead agency against organized crime; human, weapon, and drug trafficking; cybercrime; and economic crime.

The body goes across regional and international borders and can be tasked to investigate any crime.

The NCA has a strategic role as part of which it looks at serious crime in aggregate across the UK.

The agency analyzes how organized criminals are operating and how they can be disrupted.

However, to do this, it works closely with regional organized crime units, local police forces, and other government agencies.

It is the UK’s point of contact for foreign agencies such as Interpol, Europol, and other international law enforcement agencies.

On a day-to-day basis, the NCA assists police forces and other law enforcement agencies under voluntary assistance arrangements.

It was established in 2013 as a non-ministerial government department, replacing the Serious Organised Crime Agency.

England and Wales 

England and Wales are two of the four countries that make up the United Kingdom.

Together, they form one of its three legal regions.

This jurisdiction was established by the Laws in Wales Acts of 1535 and 1542, which integrated Wales into the English legal system.

The Laws in Wales Acts of 1535 and 1542, also known as the Acts of Union, were significant legislative measures passed by the Parliament of England under King Henry VIII.

These Acts aimed to fully integrate Wales into the Kingdom of England.

Furthermore, creating a single state and legal jurisdiction known as England and Wales.

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