“Blocked”

Text scam ringleader warned operations were disrupted on Telegram, Google says.

The day after Google filed a lawsuit to end text scams primarily targeting Americans, the criminal network behind the phishing scams was “disrupted,” a Google spokesperson told Ars.

According to messages that the “ringleader” of the so-called “Lighthouse enterprise” posted on his Telegram channel, the phishing gang’s cloud server was “blocked due to malicious complaints.”

“We will restore it as soon as possible!” the leader posted on the channel—which Google’s lawsuit noted helps over 2,500 members coordinate phishing attacks that have resulted in losses of “over a billion dollars.”

Google has alleged that the Lighthouse enterprise is a “criminal group in China” that sells “phishing for dummies” kits that make it easier for scammers with little tech savvy to launch massive phishing campaigns. So far, “millions” of Americans have been harmed, Google alleged, as scammers disproportionately impersonate US institutions, like the Postal Service, as well as well-known brands like E-ZPass.

The company’s lawsuit seeks to dismantle the entire Lighthouse criminal enterprise, so the company was pleased to see Lighthouse communities go dark. In a statement, Halimah DeLaine Prado, Google’s general counsel, told Ars that “this shutdown of Lighthouse’s operations is a win for everyone.

“We will continue to hold malicious scammers accountable and protect consumers,” she said.

In its complaint, Google confirmed that it has spent “hundreds of hours investigating and remediating” Lighthouse scams, including shutting down unlawful coordination found on YouTube channels. As the lawsuit advances, the company will likely keep a close watch on Telegram, where activity continues, and members on Thursday were alerted to hold tight through “business adjustments.”

Ars could not immediately reach a Telegram spokesperson to confirm if Google’s lawsuit may disrupt the alleged coordination on its messaging service. But Google’s monitoring suggests that the Lighthouse network risks gradually losing resources for core infrastructure if the tech giant’s lawsuit increases scrutiny.

Google has claimed that it has been irreparably harmed by the scams, which trick users into sharing credit card information with scammers who often load that stolen info into Google wallets. The company is seeking an injunction to stop the scams from spreading, as well as damages to recover Google’s alleged losses.

Ashley is a senior policy reporter for Ars Technica, dedicated to tracking social impacts of emerging policies and new technologies. She is a Chicago-based journalist with 20 years of experience.