Google filed a lawsuit Wednesday accusing China-based cyber criminals of conducting a massive phishing operation targeting millions of credit card holders across the United States.
The criminal network, known as “Lighthouse,” targeted between 15 and 100 million potential cards in the U.S. and impacted “over a million victims,” according to the tech company.
Google said the cyber-attackers built a sweeping scheme often based on using text messages to warn recipients about a stuck package or an unpaid toll, according to CBS News. Scammers would then send recipients to fake sites, where they would be tricked into revealing personal and sensitive information, such as passwords and credit card numbers, which are then stolen.
Google said it found more than 100 fake sites using its logo to manipulate people into handing over passwords or credit card numbers.
Google’s general counsel, Halimah DeLaine Prado, told the outlet the company had filed what it calls a first-of-its-kind lawsuit under the RICO Act, which is often used to target organized crime rings.
Cyber attacks from China have become an increasing concern for the U.S. in recent years, with government agencies such as the EPA recently rolling out systems to address attacks on critical infrastructure, including the country’s water systems.
Last year, President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance were among those hacked by China’s “Salt Typhoon” typhoon, which targeted text messages, monitored phone calls, and tracked geolocation as part of a campaign-sabotaging telecommunications infrastructure.
China is not the only country the U.S. has warned is carrying out operations targeting U.S. cybersecurity.
ESPIONAGE-LINKED CHINESE COMPANY EMBEDDED IN TOP U.S. RESEARCH LABS
Multiple government agencies warned earlier this year that Iran or its affiliates could target U.S. defense industrial base companies via cyberattacks.
U.S. defense contractors, “particularly those possessing holdings or relationships with Israeli research and defense firms, are at increased risk,” the agencies said.