Google sues Chinese cybercrime operation that used AI to send scam texts
Google has filed a lawsuit against an alleged Chinese cybercrime network called Outsider Enterprise, which used AI to send scam text messages impersonating Google and other brands to steal passwords and credit card numbers. The network has scammed hundreds of thousands of victims, with losses estimated in the millions.
Google takes legal action against AI-powered cybercrime
Google is suing to dismantle the infrastructure behind an alleged massive AI-powered cybercrime operation. On Friday, the tech giant announced a lawsuit against an alleged Chinese cybercrime network called Outsider Enterprise, which Google says uses AI in its campaigns to send scam text messages impersonating Google and other brands to steal passwords and credit card numbers.
Massive scale of victims and losses
Outsider Enterprise has financially scammed “hundreds of thousands of victims” with losses “estimated in the millions,” according to Google. The group deployed 9,000 fake websites, one million fraudulent web domains, and 2.5 million texts sent to Android users in a two-week period. Google said 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.”
Using AI to fight AI-powered scams
Google said it uses “AI-powered tools to fight AI-powered scams,” which enable the company to detect scams and alert users of suspicious calls and text messages, leading to the interception of more than 10 billion scam messages a month.
Collaboration with telecoms and law enforcement
Google has been collaborating with AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon to block the scam text messages and is coordinating with the FBI, which is taking unspecified law enforcement actions. The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
