Full story
Gemini-fueled phishing suit
Google filed a lawsuit targeting a China-based cybercrime network it calls “Outsider Enterprise,” alleging the group used artificial intelligence to run phishing scams that sent deceptive text messages to Android users.
“Google has filed a lawsuit against a cybercrime organization that was using Gemini to power its financial scams, while Google is also pushing for stricter laws that are more relevant to an AI era”
In a two-week period in May, Google said the operation sent 2.5 million fraudulent text messages and deployed 9,000 fake websites and created 1 million fraudulent web domains.
Google’s complaint says the network used Gemini to generate phishing infrastructure and that the scams were designed to steal passwords and credit card information.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on June 12, 2026, as Google sought injunctive relief to shut the operation down entirely.
FBI, carriers, and Telegram
Google said it coordinated with the FBI and telecommunications providers AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon to block the fraudulent texts before they reached potential victims.
In its blog post, Google wrote, “We’re filing a lawsuit to dismantle their infrastructure, coordinating with the FBI who will be taking law enforcement actions,” and said it would continue working with AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon to block the texts.
The complaint described Outsider Enterprise as operating through Telegram, where it allegedly provided instructions on using Gemini to create websites that imitate Google, YouTube, and government agencies such as New York’s E-ZPass.
Brett Leatherman, Assistant Director of the FBI’s Cyber Division, told the Times that criminals are increasingly using AI to make scams more convincing and harder to spot, according to The Decoder.
Scale, losses, and next steps
Google said the operation affected “hundreds of thousands of victims” with losses “estimated in the millions,” and it also reported that its own AI-powered tools detect and intercept more than 10 billion scam messages monthly.
“Google loves telling us all the ways people are using its generative AI products to build new things, grow businesses, and save the world”
TechCrunch reported that since July 2023, Outsider Enterprise’s phishing platform enabled cybercriminals to steal “at least an estimated 3,870,000 stolen credit cards” with “$1.9B in losses.”
Google’s filing also said the company detected more than 1.59 million URLs connected to the group between November 14, 2025 and April 14, 2026.
Google sought a restraining order and legal basis to shut the network down together by seizing domains or freezing accounts, while also advocating for federal legislation to make protections permanent.
