The National Crime Agency Disrupts Criminal Network Involved in Phone Number Spoofing Scam
The National Crime Agency (NCA) is currently analyzing a large amount of data obtained from an online platform to identify numerous criminals who utilized a phone number spoofing service to scam victims out of millions of pounds. Working in collaboration with prosecutors from various countries, including Ukraine and the Netherlands, the NCA has seized data from servers linked to Russian Coms, a platform that facilitated the theft of money from around 170,000 individuals in the UK.
These criminals were able to manipulate the phone numbers of banks, financial institutions, telecom companies, and law enforcement agencies to deceive victims before stealing their money and sensitive information. Following extensive intelligence gathering and investigative work, NCA officers arrested two suspects in Newham in March 2024, believed to be the developers and administrators of the platform, ultimately shutting down the operation.
City of London Police collaborated with the NCA to analyze over 100,000 data points, including IP addresses, phone numbers, and names to identify suspects and approximately 5000 victims of Russian Coms. Investigators discovered that between 2021 and 2024, users of Russian Coms made over 1.3 million calls to 500,000 unique UK phone numbers, resulting in an average loss of over £9,400 per victim.
The phone spoofing service initially involved a customized Motorola Android phone, sold for £1,200 to $1,400, with capabilities to display fake numbers during calls and VPN options for IP address concealment. The operators later introduced a web app priced at £350 a month, offering unlimited minutes, encrypted calls, and voice-changing services.
Fraudsters impersonated banks and reputable companies to deceive victims into transferring money or providing personal information. Calls were made to individuals in over 100 countries worldwide, resulting in significant financial losses. The NCA has seized data from the operation to identify users of Russian Coms and other similar platforms, with plans to take action against those involved.
Nik Adams, Temporary Assistant Commissioner at the City of London Police, emphasized the need for technology companies to collaborate with law enforcement to combat fraud. Despite its name, Russian Coms was operated from the UK and had no ties to Russia.
