Google is stepping up its fight against the growing threat of phishing scams delivered via text message. These scams, which have become increasingly common in recent years, often trick users with fake alerts about missed toll payments, package deliveries, or other urgent matters. Now, Google has filed a lawsuit targeting Lighthouse, a company allegedly responsible for enabling a massive volume of SMS-based phishing attacks.
Lighthouse is described as a “phishing-as-a-service” operation, providing tools that allow customers to set up their own specialized scams. According to Google, Lighthouse-affiliated scams in the U.S. have stolen between 12.7 million and 115 million credit cards, exploiting trusted brands like E-Z Pass to deceive victims and steal financial information.
A Comprehensive Legal Strategy
Google’s lawsuit is broad and aggressive, invoking three major legal statutes: the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, the Lanham Act, and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA).
- RICO allows authorities to treat Lighthouse as a criminal enterprise, not just a collection of isolated scams.
This approach expands liability to include not only the founders and operators of Lighthouse, but also customers
who used its services. - The Lanham Act targets the misuse of well-known trademarks, which is common in phishing scams that impersonate
companies like Amazon and FedEx. - The CFAA addresses unauthorized access to financial systems, a frequent tactic in these scams.
By combining these laws, Google aims to dismantle Lighthouse’s operations and set a strong precedent for holding both creators and users of scam tools accountable. The legal action could result in civil damages and even criminal penalties, signaling Google’s intent to permanently disrupt this type of fraud.
Working with Lawmakers to Strengthen Protections
Beyond its lawsuit, Google is collaborating with Congress to push for new legislation that would make it harder for scam operations to thrive. The company is advocating for three key bills:
- The GUARD Act, which would provide federal funding to state and local law enforcement to investigate fraud
targeting seniors. Elder fraud is a growing problem, with losses exceeding $3 billion annually. - The Foreign Robocall Elimination Act, designed to block illegal robocalls originating from abroad before they
reach U.S. consumers. - The SCAM Act, which would help authorities identify and dismantle large-scale scam compounds and support victims
of human trafficking often found within these operations.
Leveraging AI to Combat Evolving Scams
As scammers grow more sophisticated—using AI tools like ChatGPT to craft convincing, conversational messages—Google is turning to artificial intelligence to protect users. In March, the company introduced new AI-powered scam detection tools that analyze SMS, MMS, and RCS messages in real time. These tools alert users to suspicious texts and are continually updated through collaboration with financial institutions to stay ahead of emerging threats.
A Strong Stand Against Text-Based Fraud
Google’s aggressive legal and legislative actions highlight the scale and profitability of text-based scams, which have earned cybercriminals over $1 billion in recent years. By targeting both the infrastructure behind these scams and the broader ecosystem that enables them, Google hopes to not only disrupt current operations but also deter future fraudsters.
