UK Authorities Shut Down Russian Coms, a Major Phone Scam Platform
The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) has announced the takedown of Russian Coms, a major caller ID spoofing platform used by hundreds of criminals to make over 1.8 million fraudulent calls. Victims of Russian Coms’ clients were located in more than 107 countries, including the UK, the United States, New Zealand, Norway, and France.
According to the NCA, the platform was shut down in March 2024 after several months of intelligence gathering and investigation. At the same time, three suspects were arrested in London, two of whom are believed to be the developers and administrators of Russian Coms. All three have since been released on bail.
How Russian Coms Operated
Russian Coms was launched in 2021. Authorities estimate that more than 170,000 people in the UK alone were affected by the platform’s activities, resulting in financial losses totaling tens of millions of dollars.
Between 2021 and 2024, criminals used the service to make over 1.3 million calls to 500,000 unique phone numbers in the UK, with the average loss per victim around £9,400.
“The platform allowed criminals to hide their identities by pretending to call from pre-selected numbers—most often those of financial institutions, telecom companies, or law enforcement agencies. This helped them gain victims’ trust and then steal their money and personal data,” the NCA reported.
Advertising and Features
Russian Coms was advertised on Snapchat, Telegram, and Instagram. Hundreds of criminals paid for six-month contracts using cryptocurrency (costing between £1,200 and £1,400) or subscribed to the web app for £350 per month.
Initially, Russian Coms was offered as a standalone device, later evolving into a web application. The service allowed clients to make encrypted calls with no logs, use a web phone, instantly destroy all data, change their voice, make international calls, and access 24/7 support.
“The device could only be used for fraudulent calls. It was loaded with numerous fake apps that served no real function, so if seized by law enforcement, it would appear to be a regular smartphone. In addition to several real VPN apps for hiding IP addresses, it also had an app that could instantly wipe the phone if activated,” authorities explained.
Common Scam Tactics
Police say scammers often used schemes familiar to many Russians. They spoofed bank phone numbers to gain victims’ trust, then told them their accounts were involved in fraudulent activity and convinced them to urgently transfer money to a “safe” account to protect their savings.
Criminals also posed as representatives of legitimate companies to access victims’ funds, stole money through undelivered goods, or simply took victims’ debit and credit cards by convincing them the cards needed immediate replacement.
Aftermath and Warnings
After Russian Coms was dismantled, NCA representatives posted a message in the platform’s Telegram channel, warning its clients that the police would soon be coming for them as well.