Google has launched legal action against an alleged Chinese cybercrime group accused of using artificial intelligence to conduct large-scale online scams targeting consumers worldwide.
According to Google, the group, known as Outsider Enterprise, used AI tools to create fake websites and send fraudulent text messages impersonating trusted brands, including Google. The objective was to trick users into revealing passwords, payment information, and security codes.
The company said the operation affected hundreds of thousands of victims and generated losses estimated in the millions of dollars. Google alleges that the network deployed more than one million fraudulent domains, operated 9,000 phishing websites, and sent 2.5 million scam text messages to Android users within a two-week period.
The FBI confirmed it had worked with Google and cybersecurity partners to seize several domains and online services linked to the operation.
The lawsuit shows the growing need for stronger collaboration between technology companies and law enforcement agencies to combat increasingly sophisticated AI-driven scams.
However, concerns have been raised about the misuse of artificial intelligence. While AI offers significant benefits across industries, experts warn that the technology can also be exploited to create convincing fraudulent content at scale, making online scams harder to detect.
The lawsuit seeks financial damages and court orders to shut down the alleged network’s operations.
