Google sues group behind mass scam texts
A legal battle is unfolding as Google turns to the courts to cut off the digital lifelines of a sprawling scam operation that has quietly flooded American phones with fraudulent messages.
Google has filed a lawsuit against a Chinese-speaking cybercriminal network it says is behind a large share of scam text messages targeting people in the United States. The company says the legal action is aimed at disrupting the group’s online infrastructure rather than seeking damages.
According to the complaint, the group, known as Darcula, develops and sells phishing software that allows scammers to send mass text messages posing as trusted organisations such as postal services, government agencies, or online platforms. The tools are designed to be easy to use, enabling people with little technical expertise to run large-scale scams.
Google says the software has been used by hundreds of scam operators to direct victims to fake websites where credit card details are stolen. The company estimates that hundreds of thousands of payment cards have been compromised globally, with tens of thousands linked to victims in the United States.
The lawsuit asks a US court to grant Google the authority to seize and shut down websites connected to the operation, a tactic technology companies increasingly use when criminal networks operate in countries beyond the reach of US law enforcement. Investigations by journalists and cybersecurity researchers suggest the group operates largely in Chinese and has links to individuals based in China and other countries.
The case highlights the growing scale of text-based fraud in the US, where cybercrime losses continue to rise sharply. Google says it will continue combining legal action with technical measures to limit the reach of large scam networks and protect users from increasingly sophisticated phishing campaigns.
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