Google Fights Back: Sues Chinese Group Over Massive Phishing Scams
I just read that Google is taking serious action against a Chinese group running a phishing service called Lighthouse. These guys were basically selling tools for massive phishing and SMS scams, and it sounds like they were pretty successful at it.
The Lighthouse platform allowed criminals to easily create fake websites that mimicked well-known brands. For example, a common trick was pretending to be the USPS and tricking people into paying for a fake redelivery fee. The goal? To steal login credentials and other sensitive data.
The scale of this operation is staggering. Google estimates that one million people across 121 countries were affected, and the criminals managed to steal around $1 billion. In the US alone, they may have compromised millions of credit card numbers. It's unbelievable how many people fall for these scams!
To give you an idea of their reach, one criminal group, “Smishing Triad”, used Lighthouse to create 200,000 fake websites earlier this year. These sites received about 50,000 visits a day and compromised millions of credit cards in just 20 days. It's insane!
Google is suing them under various laws, including the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). If Google wins, they'll be able to work with carriers and website hosts to shut down Lighthouse's infrastructure. That would be a major victory against these cybercriminals.
But Google isn't just relying on the lawsuit. They're also supporting bipartisan bills in Congress that aim to fight foreign cybercriminals. These bills target everything from financial fraud against retirees to foreign robocalls and even scam compounds where people are forced to work for these operations. It's good to see them taking a multi-pronged approach.
Source: Engadget