Google sues 25 China-based scammers behind phishing kit

"Lighthouse is a phishing software service described in the lawsuit [PDF] as a "phishing for dummies" kit. Criminals pay a monthly subscription fee for access to hundreds of templates for fake websites, domain set-up tools for those phony sites, and other features designed to dupe victims into believing they are visiting a legitimate website. The crims use these sites to trick victims into entering their financial info and other sensitive details, which the crooks then steal."

"Over a 20-day period, criminals using Lighthouse created more than 200,000 fraudulent websites to target more than one million victims across 121 countries, according to Silent Push security researchers. In total, Lighthouse offers more than 600 phishing websites mimicking real websites belonging to over 400 entities. At least 116 of these templates feature a Google logo, such as YouTube, Gmail, Google Play on the sign-in screen - and that's where Google's attorneys come into the picture."

"These phishing attacks have harmed Google's customers and the company itself through the unauthorized use of its trademarks and services, according to the lawsuit. "The Defendants are a group of foreign cybercriminals who have engaged in relentless phishing attacks against millions of innocent victims, including Google customers, to steal personal and financial information," the lawsuit alleges. "These attacks have collectively swindled innocent victims out of millions of dollars and harmed Google through the unauthorized use of its trademarks and services.""

Google filed a lawsuit against 25 unnamed China-based scammers over the Lighthouse phishing service that allegedly stole more than 115 million U.S. credit card numbers. Lighthouse operated as a subscription phishing-as-a-service offering hundreds of templates, domain setup tools, and automated features to create phony sites. Over a 20-day period operators created over 200,000 fraudulent websites targeting more than one million victims across 121 countries. Lighthouse offered more than 600 phishing sites mimicking over 400 entities, with at least 116 templates displaying Google logos on sign-in screens. Google alleges trademark misuse, customer harm, and financial losses, citing RICO in its complaint.

Read at Theregister