The UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) has closed down an online platform used by criminals to defraud thousands of people globally, according to an announcement.

The NCA stated that the Russian Coms platform enabled fraudsters to impersonate representatives from banks or telecom companies, facilitating the theft of money and personal information. Between 2021 and 2024, users of Russian Coms placed over 1.3 million calls to 500,000 unique UK phone numbers. It is estimated that approximately 170,000 individuals in the UK fell victim to these scams, with reported losses averaging more than £9,400 per person.

The agency noted that the platform was also used to target individuals in 107 countries worldwide, though specific figures for global victims were not provided. Three individuals associated with the platform have been arrested and released on conditional bail.

Initially launched in 2021, the Russian Coms platform began as a handset and later evolved into a web application. It allowed users to make calls that appeared to originate from reputable companies. Scams included spoofing bank numbers to deceive victims into transferring money and impersonating businesses to fraudulently obtain payments for nonexistent goods.

According to the NCA, the handset exclusively supported spoofed calls and was disguised with fake applications to resemble an ordinary smartphone. The web app, priced at £350 per month, accepted payments via cryptocurrency.

Adrian Searle, director of the NCA's National Economic Crime Centre, highlighted that fraud, much of which is technology-driven, now constitutes a significant portion of crime against individuals in England and Wales, accounting for approximately 40% of cases.

Searle emphasized, "Criminals are increasingly leveraging technology to perpetrate fraud and other crimes on a large scale, causing tangible harm to victims both domestically and internationally."

Earlier this year, authorities dismantled a criminal group accused of using Labhost, a technology service that facilitated the use of fraudulent text messages to swindle victims without technical expertise into making online payments.

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