FBI, Google and Black Lotus Labs Disrupt Chinese AI Phishing Network Behind Millions of Scam URLs
Coordinated takedown targets Outsider Enterprise
The FBI, working with Google and Black Lotus Labs, has disrupted a large-scale Chinese phishing-as-a-service operation that used artificial intelligence, distributed phishing kits and more than a million fraudulent URLs to steal credit card data and passwords.
The operation, known as Outsider Enterprise, has been active since at least 2023 and was built to impersonate trusted brands in text-message scams sent through AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon. Google said the network was tied to 9,000 fake websites and more than a million malicious URLs, making it one of the larger phishing infrastructures the companies have worked to dismantle.
Authorities believe campaigns powered by the operation helped steal more than 3.8 million credit card records and caused an estimated $1.9 billion in losses. Google said the AI-assisted scams affected hundreds of thousands of users worldwide.
Servers seized, domains redirected
The action included both technical and legal measures as part of the FBI’s broader Operation Riptide, which targets cybercrime activity and the infrastructure behind it. During the takedown, the FBI and partners seized multiple administration servers, a Shopify storefront and an account the threat actor used to test the phishing service.
The agency also took control of about $100,000 in USDT from Outsider payment wallets. Thousands of phishing domains registered through U.S. providers are now redirecting to an FBI splash page, and investigators also seized a Telegram bot linked to the operation that contained information on customers of the phishing service.
Google said it has filed a civil lawsuit aimed at the operation’s infrastructure and is working with AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon to block fraudulent messages before they reach subscribers.
Millions of scam texts
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In a two-week period in May, Google said Outsider Enterprise infrastructure was used to send 2.5 million SMS messages to Android users. Android users flagged 55,000 of those messages as fraudulent.
The company said it is using the case to push for stronger anti-scam protections, including support for seven bipartisan U.S. bills such as the Stop SCAMS Act. That measure would require the FBI to lead a coordinated national anti-scam strategy involving federal agencies, law enforcement and private companies to track and disrupt fraud operations more effectively.
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