Google sues Chinese cybercrime group for using Gemini in SMS scams
Google filed a lawsuit alleging that a Chinese cybercrime group called Outsider Enterprise used its Gemini AI to create phishing kits and send 2.5 million fraudulent text messages to US Android users over two weeks in May 2026. The group allegedly generated thousands of fake websites to steal financial information, with hundreds of thousands of people scammed out of millions of dollars.
What happened
Google filed a lawsuit on Friday June 12 in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York against a Chinese cybercrime group known as the Outsider Enterprise, alleging the group used Google Gemini to conduct large-scale fraud.
The group allegedly used Gemini to develop 131 phishing kits that enabled mass production of fraudulent messages mimicking YouTube, Google, New York's EZPass toll system, and the US Postal Service. Over a two-week period in May 2026, the network sent 2.5 million scam text messages to Android users containing links to 9,000 counterfeit websites and generated over one million malicious internet addresses.
Reported impact
According to the complaint, the group targeted hundreds of thousands of people in the United States in an effort to steal personal information including credit card details and passwords. Android users reported 55,000 of the scam text messages during the two-week period, and Google stated that hundreds of thousands of users were scammed out of millions of dollars, though exact financial damages were not available.
Index analysis
The case marks the first time Google is taking legal action in coordination with federal law enforcement agencies including the FBI and major wireless carriers AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile, which are working to track the digital footprint and block fraudulent messages.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.