Google sues Chinese group sending scam texts to users globally
What's the story
Google has filed a lawsuit against "Lighthouse," a Chinese criminal organization that provides software and support to online scammers. The tech giant alleges that this enterprise creates a "phishing for dummies" kit for cybercriminals who wouldn't be able to pull off large-scale phishing campaigns otherwise. The lawsuit was filed in the US District Court in the Southern District of New York.
Phishing details
Lighthouse created 200,000 fraudulent websites in just 20 days
Google claims that the Lighthouse group charges a monthly fee for SMS or e-commerce software with hundreds of templates for websites imitating financial institutions or government-affiliated organizations. These sites could deceive consumers into providing sensitive information. In just 20 days, Google says, Lighthouse created 200,000 fraudulent websites targeting over a million potential victims. The company estimates that between 12.7 million and 115 million credit cards in the US were compromised by this scam.
Operation details
How the scam works
The lawsuit highlights how scammers could log into a Lighthouse account and use the dashboard to send out a text falsely alerting a potential victim about USPS payment. This text would link to a spoofed USPS page asking for personal and payment details. The page tracks keystrokes, compromising information even if users change their minds before submitting it. Google is suing the group for violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO Act), fraud, and trademark infringement laws.
Legal strategy
Hopes law enforcement could learn more about Lighthouse through discovery
Google's General Counsel Halimah DeLaine Prado told The Verge that the lawsuit aims to declare Lighthouse's scheme illegal so that other tech providers can also take it down. The company hopes law enforcement could learn more about Lighthouse through discovery. Although other services offer similar tools to Lighthouse, Google was drawn to this network due to its scale and popularity spike this year, tracked via public Telegram and now-disrupted YouTube channels for recruitment and tech support.
Legislative support
Google is also supporting 3 federal bills to protect users
Google is also supporting three federal bills it thinks will help tackle these types of schemes: the GUARD Act, the Foreign Robocall Elimination Act, and the SCAM Act. Together, these bills would fund state and local law enforcement's ability to target scams targeting retirees, create a taskforce against foreign illegal robocalls reaching US consumers, and hold transnational groups trafficking people into scamming schemes accountable.