Google takes action against phishing group
Google has announced the dismantling of a group responsible for text message phishing scams that tricked individuals into providing personal information by claiming extra toll fees and delayed packages.
The group, known as Lighthouse, operated a “phishing-as-a-service” model, enabling criminals to impersonate organizations like the E-ZPass toll company and the U.S. Postal Service. This allowed them to extract sensitive personal and financial data from unsuspecting recipients.
In response to being impersonated, Google filed a lawsuit against Lighthouse on Wednesday. The following day, the group communicated via Telegram that their cloud server had been blocked due to malicious complaints and promised to restore services soon.
Halimah DeLaine Prado, Google’s general counsel, stated that this shutdown represents a significant victory in holding scammers accountable and protecting consumers.
Google discovered over 107 website templates misusing its branding to create more convincing phishing landing pages. The Lighthouse operation reportedly affected more than 1 million individuals across over 120 countries, with estimates suggesting they stole between 12.7 million and 115 million credit card numbers in the U.S. alone.
While Google indicated that Lighthouse was a foreign entity, it did not disclose its country of origin. However, legal documents suggest that the group was based in China, according to reports from technology sources.
