Fake caller app shut after thieves duped thousands

The UK's  Crime Branch has shut down a website they say criminals stole money from thousands of people around the world. Russia's  phone network allowed fraudsters to pretend they were calling from a bank or telecom company to steal money or personal information, the NCA said. The   said that between 2021 and 2024, more than 1.3 million people were called by Russian telecoms operators to 500,000  phone numbers in the UK.  In the UK, 170,000 people  are said to have suffered, losing more than £9,400.    NCA said that the platform is used to invite people in 107 different countries around the world, although it did not provide an estimate of the number of international people affected.  The agency said  three people were arrested at the scene and released on  bail. The  Russia Coms platform was founded in 2021. It looks like a phone and then like a web application and allows the user to make calls that seem to be from a reputable company.  In some of these scams, criminals "spoot" bank numbers to pretend they are a legitimate player before tricking the victim into transferring money to  their account. Scammers  pose as companies that steal money for products that don't deliver. According to  NCA, mobile phones can be used to make stolen calls, although they are loaded with fake apps to make them look like  everyday smartphones.   web app costs £350 per month and is paid in cryptocurrency.  According to the NCA, fraud now accounts for  40% of all crimes against individuals in England and Wales, with over 80%  believed to be technology-based.  "Criminals are increasingly using technology to commit fraud and other crimes across a wide range of industries, causing  real problems for victims in the UK and around the world,"  Adrian Searle, director of said the NCA's National Economic Crime Center.  "The NCA and our partners here in the UK and abroad are pursuing criminals and the technology they use."  Earlier this year, police charged a gang with using  technology to help criminals send fake text messages to their victims.  The Labhost website allowed fraudsters who were not scammers  to use information designed to trick them into making online payments.