Google Sues Scammers Behind E-ZPass, USPS Texts Targeting Millions

By Chris Spiker From Daily Voice

Scammers sending fake texts about unpaid tolls and stuck packages have fooled millions into giving up personal information, according to a new lawsuit.

Google announced the federal lawsuit against a foreign cybercriminal group on Wednesday, Nov. 12. The tech giant accused the organization, largely based in China, of running a massive text-message phishing operation called "smishing" (SMS phishing) that impersonated services like E-ZPass and the US Postal Service to steal financial data.

The suspected scammers used a phishing-as-a-service kit called Lighthouse to send the fraudulent texts urging people to click links about missed deliveries or unpaid tolls. The links led to fake websites designed to capture victims' login credentials, Social Security numbers, and bank account information.

Google said the Lighthouse operation has hurt more than 1 million victims in more than 120 countries, stealing between 12.7 million and 115 million credit cards in the US alone.

"The idea is to prevent its continued proliferation, deter others from doing something similarly, as well as protect both the users and brands that were misused in these websites from future harm," Google general counsel Halimah DeLaine Prado told CNBC.

Google's investigation found more than 100 website templates using its own branding to make the pages appear legitimate. The lawsuit brings claims under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, the Lanham Act, and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA).

Investigators uncovered an organized structure behind the scam, including "data brokers" who provided target lists, "spammers" who sent the texts, and "theft" teams who exploited stolen credentials. Roughly 2,500 members reportedly messaged on public Telegram channels to recruit others and coordinate attacks.

Google is also supporting three bills aimed at reducing scams and robocalls.

The GUARD Act would help state and local police investigate financial fraud targeting retirees. The Foreign Robocall Elimination Act aims to block illegal international calls.

The SCAM Act targets large-scale scam compounds and aids trafficking victims.

"We also continue to intensify public education and partnership efforts to help users recognize and avoid fraud," DeLaine Prado wrote in a blog post. "We hope these efforts will help more people be safe online. From the courtroom to the Capitol, we are taking action to stop these attacks. But this is a shared fight."

Google said it has also launched new features in Google Messages that use artificial intelligence to catch fake package and toll alerts, block malicious links, and improve account recovery tools for victims.