MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.–Google has filed a lawsuit seeking to take down Lighthouse, a China-based software service it accuses of phishing and allegedly enabling the creation of fraudulent USPS and E-ZPass messages targeting U.S. users.
Google is alleging the company unlawfully used its trademarks in schemes that defrauded victims of millions of dollars.
Google filed the lawsuit in the Southern District of New York against 25 unidentified individuals and entities linked to Lighthouse, accusing the company of running a racketeering scheme. It alleges the defendants created Lighthouse to serve as a subscription phishing kit that enabled large-scale scams through SMS and e-commerce channels, according to Forbes.
The Allegations
According to the Forbes report and the lawsuit:
- Google says it found at least 107 fake sign-in templates replicating Google’s logo and interface to trick victims into entering personal information and financial data.
- Google alleges attackers generated about 200,000 fraudulent domains, drawing over 1 million potential victims across 121 countries all within a 20 day period.
- Between July 2023 and October 2024, the lawsuit notes Lighthouse produced 32,094 fake U.S. Postal Service websites, leading to the theft of 12.7 million to 115 million U.S. credit cards.
Google’s complaint seeks damages and injunctions under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (commonly known as RICO), the Lanham Act and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.
