Carding Forum
Professional
- Messages
- 2,788
- Reaction score
- 1,176
- Points
- 113
British police have shut down a network of phone scammers.
UK law enforcement agencies have announced the closure of the Russian Coms platform, which was used by hundreds of scammers to deceive victims around the world. The platform, which was launched in 2021, resulted in tens of millions of pounds ' worth of financial losses, with around 170,000 people in the UK falling victim to it.
The victims were people of all ages, and calls were made to 107 countries around the world, including the United States, New Zealand, Norway, France and the Bahamas. Between 2021 and 2024, criminals used the platform to make more than 1.3 million calls from 500,000 unique numbers in the UK. The average loss was over 9,400 pounds sterling.
Hundreds of criminals entered into 6-month contracts worth from 1,200 to 1,400 pounds in cryptocurrency to use the main services of Russian Coms. The service was actively promoted through Snapchat, Instagram* and Telegram and was available first as a separate device, and then as a web application that provides users with encrypted calls, a web phone, no logs, instant data erasure, voice change, international calls and round-the-clock support.
The Russian Coms phone could only be used for making fake calls. Several fake non-functional apps were uploaded to the device to make the phone look like a regular smartphone in case of seizure by law enforcement agencies. Several VPN applications were also installed on the device to hide the IP address and an application for instant data erasure.
RussianComs Rates
Russian Coms allowed criminals to hide their identity by making calls from fake numbers of financial institutions, telecommunications companies, and law enforcement agencies. An example of a typical scam was the use of a fake bank number to gain the trust of the victim. The criminals convinced the victim that her account had been swindled, and offered to transfer money to a "safe account" to keep the funds safe.
Criminals also posed as well-known reputable companies and stole funds for goods that were never delivered. The attackers gained full access to bank accounts and organized the collection of physical debit and credit cards from victims under the pretext of replacing them.
Three people were arrested by NCA employees, two of whom are suspected of creating and developing the platform. They were released on bail. UK law enforcement agencies, together with partners from other countries, with the support of Europol, will work together against users of the platform in the coming months. The NCA also posted a message on the Russian Coms Telegram channel after the takeover.
Police report in the Telegram channel of the Russian Coms service
Recall that recently, UK law enforcement agencies reported on a successful operation to introduce a DDoS service into systems, during which the alleged head of the DigitalStress service was arrested. The actions of law enforcement officers were carried out as part of Operation Operation PowerOff, aimed at suppressing the activities of DDoS-for-hire platforms.
Source
UK law enforcement agencies have announced the closure of the Russian Coms platform, which was used by hundreds of scammers to deceive victims around the world. The platform, which was launched in 2021, resulted in tens of millions of pounds ' worth of financial losses, with around 170,000 people in the UK falling victim to it.
The victims were people of all ages, and calls were made to 107 countries around the world, including the United States, New Zealand, Norway, France and the Bahamas. Between 2021 and 2024, criminals used the platform to make more than 1.3 million calls from 500,000 unique numbers in the UK. The average loss was over 9,400 pounds sterling.
Hundreds of criminals entered into 6-month contracts worth from 1,200 to 1,400 pounds in cryptocurrency to use the main services of Russian Coms. The service was actively promoted through Snapchat, Instagram* and Telegram and was available first as a separate device, and then as a web application that provides users with encrypted calls, a web phone, no logs, instant data erasure, voice change, international calls and round-the-clock support.
The Russian Coms phone could only be used for making fake calls. Several fake non-functional apps were uploaded to the device to make the phone look like a regular smartphone in case of seizure by law enforcement agencies. Several VPN applications were also installed on the device to hide the IP address and an application for instant data erasure.
RussianComs Rates
Russian Coms allowed criminals to hide their identity by making calls from fake numbers of financial institutions, telecommunications companies, and law enforcement agencies. An example of a typical scam was the use of a fake bank number to gain the trust of the victim. The criminals convinced the victim that her account had been swindled, and offered to transfer money to a "safe account" to keep the funds safe.
Criminals also posed as well-known reputable companies and stole funds for goods that were never delivered. The attackers gained full access to bank accounts and organized the collection of physical debit and credit cards from victims under the pretext of replacing them.
Three people were arrested by NCA employees, two of whom are suspected of creating and developing the platform. They were released on bail. UK law enforcement agencies, together with partners from other countries, with the support of Europol, will work together against users of the platform in the coming months. The NCA also posted a message on the Russian Coms Telegram channel after the takeover.
Police report in the Telegram channel of the Russian Coms service
Recall that recently, UK law enforcement agencies reported on a successful operation to introduce a DDoS service into systems, during which the alleged head of the DigitalStress service was arrested. The actions of law enforcement officers were carried out as part of Operation Operation PowerOff, aimed at suppressing the activities of DDoS-for-hire platforms.
Source
