Three men behind the fraudulent website OTP.Agency, which enabled criminals to bypass banking anti-fraud checks, have been sentenced following a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation.
Callum Picari, 23, from Hornchurch, Essex; Vijayasidhurshan Vijayanathan, 21, from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire; and Aza Siddeeque, 19, from Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, created and operated the platform to facilitate large-scale fraud, causing significant financial harm to the public.
How OTP.Agency Operated
The OTP.Agency website, named after “one-time passcodes” (OTPs), allowed fraudsters to gain unauthorised access to personal bank accounts and other online platforms. Users paid subscription fees for services that enabled them to bypass multifactor authentication, steal funds, and commit account takeovers.
The website offered a basic plan for £30 per week, granting access to a spoof call bot that tricked victims into revealing genuine OTPs. For £380 per month, the “elite plan” provided more advanced features, including customisable automated calls and pre-written scripts designed to impersonate companies such as BT, Sky, Virgin Media, HMRC, Mastercard, and Visa.
The Scale of the Scam
Between September 2019 and March 2021, over 3,000 criminals subscribed to OTP.Agency, targeting more than 12,500 individuals and making over 65,000 spoof calls. While the exact earnings of the scheme are unknown, estimates suggest it generated between £90,000 and £7.9 million, depending on the subscription plans purchased by users.
The trio behind the operation each played distinct roles:
- Callum Picari: Owner, developer, and primary promoter of OTP.Agency. He claimed the service could deliver profits “within minutes” and marketed it heavily on Telegram.
- Vijayasidhurshan Vijayanathan: Administrator and moderator, managing the website and handling communications with subscribers.
- Aza Siddeeque: Technical support provider, assisting criminal users and promoting the service on Telegram.
Sentencing and Penalties
The NCA began investigating OTP.Agency in June 2020, uncovering extensive evidence of the trio’s involvement in fraud. Telegram messages revealed how Picari and Vijayanathan panicked after a news article exposed the website’s activities. This prompted them to discuss deleting incriminating chats to hinder investigations. Despite their attempts to conceal evidence, the NCA’s cyber investigators dismantled the website and arrested the three men in March 2021.
The trio initially denied involvement in criminality but later admitted to the charges. At Snaresbrook Crown Court on 27 January 2023, they were sentenced as follows:
- Callum Picari: Two years and eight months in prison.
- Vijayasidhurshan Vijayanathan: A 12-month community order, 200 hours of community service, and £760 in costs.
- Aza Siddeeque: A 12-month community order, 160 hours of community service, and £760 in costs.
Confiscation proceedings against Picari are ongoing to recover illicit earnings from the scheme.
The Dangers of Fraud Platforms
OTP.Agency exemplifies how technology can be weaponised to perpetrate large-scale fraud. By providing tools to bypass multifactor authentication, the website enabled scammers to exploit victims’ trust and steal money.
Such platforms amplify the reach and impact of fraud, putting thousands of individuals at risk of financial and emotional harm. Victims often suffer not only monetary losses but also a profound loss of trust in digital services and institutions.
The OTP.Agency case underscores the importance of fraud awareness and fraud prevention in today’s digital landscape. Fraudsters use sophisticated tactics, such as spoof calls and phishing, to manipulate victims into revealing sensitive information.
To protect yourself:
- Be wary of unsolicited calls or messages claiming to be from trusted organisations.
- Never share personal information, passwords, or OTPs over the phone or through unsecured channels.
- Verify any suspicious communication by contacting the organisation directly using details from their official website.
Sentences Raise Questions
The sentences handed down in this case highlight why fraud continues to spiral out of control in the UK. Despite claims by authorities to prioritise tackling fraud, the leniency of these punishments tells a different story.
Community service and minimal fines for operating a subscription-based fraud website that targeted over 60,000 individuals are not only inadequate but also insulting to the victims. These sentences fail to act as a deterrent for other criminals and undermine public confidence in the justice system. If fraud is to be taken seriously, penalties must reflect the severity of the crimes and their impact.
