Google has launched a lawsuit against an alleged Chinese cybercrime operation known as Outsider Enterprise, which it claims used AI to send scam texts impersonating Google and other brands. The group is accused of stealing passwords and credit card numbers through these fraudulent messages, according to the company. The lawsuit aims to dismantle the infrastructure behind the operation, which has scammed hundreds of thousands of victims, with losses estimated in the millions.
The cybercrime network deployed 9,000 fake websites, 1 million fraudulent web domains, and 2.5 million texts sent to Android users in a two-week period, according to Google. The company stated that 55,000 spam texts were flagged by Android users in just two weeks this past May — that’s more than two text spam complaints a minute. Google said it uses AI-powered tools to detect scams and alert users of suspicious calls and texts, which has led to the interception of more than 10 billion scam messages a month.
Google is collaborating with AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon to block scam texts and is coordinating with the FBI, which is taking unspecified law enforcement actions. The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company said it is using AI to combat AI-powered scams, as part of its broader cybersecurity strategy. Google emphasized that its tools are essential in identifying and mitigating threats from malicious actors leveraging AI technologies.
Source: techcrunch
