Telecommunications giant Ericsson has terminated its business relationship with an Israeli company that provided technology used by fraudulent call centers, according to a recent investigation.
The Israeli firm, Coperato, offers Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services, enabling users to make calls over the internet and display phone numbers from various countries. Leaked data from two large-scale investment scams, obtained by Swedish Television and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, revealed that Coperato was among several VoIP providers utilized by scammers to contact victims worldwide.
Records show that one scam operation, based in Israel and Europe, paid Coperato over $1 million for its services over roughly three and a half years. The scammers posed as financial advisors, calling from numbers that appeared to originate in countries like Switzerland or the United Kingdom, to trick victims into investing in fake schemes. Together, the two operations convinced more than 32,000 people globally to part with at least $275 million.
Coperato’s lawyers stated that the company “categorically denies any involvement in any illegal or improper activities” and emphasized it has never been accused of such conduct. They also noted that Coperato vets all clients thoroughly but is “not responsible for any actions, if any, taken by third parties on its systems.” No evidence suggests Coperato knew about the scamming activities.
Since 2015, Coperato’s services relied on technology from Vonage, which became an Ericsson subsidiary in 2022. After reporters questioned Ericsson about Coperato’s role, the Israeli firm was dropped as a client. An Ericsson press officer confirmed to a Swedish newspaper that Coperato is “no longer a Vonage customer.”
Coperato’s lawyer said the company was “very surprised” by the immediate termination of a business partnership that had lasted over six years. Leaked chats show that Coperato’s VoIP services were integrated into the call centers’ software to track conversations. Company CEO Gil Shoval described this integration as a “standard and legitimate” practice across industries. The chat records also include exchanges between scam employees and an account bearing Coperato’s logo, which responded to requests to replace flagged phone numbers and block incoming calls. Coperato’s lawyers did not confirm whether the account was genuine.
Shoval noted that replacing flagged numbers is a “routine practice” in the VoIP industry and that Coperato maintains strict vetting to ensure only legitimate businesses use its platform. He added that the company has previously closed accounts flagged by authorities. While Coperato remains unaware of the specific scams, some Skype chats referenced investment platforms that had already been warned about by Swiss regulators. Coperato’s lawyers did not address whether the company knew about these warnings or investigated the platforms mentioned, noting that they were never Coperato customers.