USERS CAN READ THE OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT HERE
On November 12, 2025, Google announced they would be filing litigation to dismantle “Lighthouse,” the phishing-as-a-service kit created by the Chinese cybercriminal group “Smishing Triad,” used to generate and send mass smishing attacks under the guise of reputable brands like USPS and E-Z Pass.
According to Google, over 200,000 fake websites were created earlier this year, with each website receiving around 50,000 visits per day, compromising millions of American credit cards within a 20-day period alone. Google is suing with the intent of working with carriers and website hosts to take down the operation under the
- US Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act
- Lanham Act
- Computer Fraud and Abuse Act
Google is also backing several bipartisan bills in Congress, which aims to
- Enable state and local law enforcement to use federal grant funding to investigate financial fraud targeting retirees
- Block foreign robocalls in the United States
- Target and dismantle scam compounds and provide support to survivors who were trafficked and forced to work for them.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/scam-texts-impersonating-ezpass-usps-traced-to-chinese-fraudsters-google
https://9to5google.com/2025/11/12/google-is-fighting-those-annoying-usps-scam-texts-in-court/
https://www.wired.com/story/lighthouse-google-lawsuit-scam-text-messages/