Following a legal action by Google aimed at curbing text scams predominantly targeting Americans, the phishing network identified as the 'Lighthouse enterprise' has been notably disrupted, as reported by a Google spokesperson to Ars.
The disruption was confirmed through posts on Telegram by the so-called ringleader of the group. According to their messages, the group's cloud server was 'blocked due to malicious complaints.'
'We will restore it as soon as possible!' the leader posted on the channel—which Google's lawsuit indicated is a platform where over 2,500 members collaborate on phishing schemes that have allegedly resulted in losses exceeding a billion dollars.
Google has accused the Lighthouse enterprise of being a 'criminal group in China' that provides 'phishing for dummies' kits, easing the process for less tech-savvy scammers to conduct large-scale phishing operations. These scams have reportedly harmed millions, primarily through impersonating American institutions like the Postal Service and popular brands such as E-ZPass.
Google's lawsuit aims to dismantle the entire Lighthouse criminal operation, and the company welcomed the shutdown of Lighthouse's online communities. Halimah DeLaine Prado, Google’s general counsel, expressed satisfaction over the disruption, stating that 'this shutdown of Lighthouse’s operations is a win for everyone.'