Google sues Chinese fraud network for misusing Gemini AI in scams
Google has filed a lawsuit against a China-based fraud network for using its Gemini artificial intelligence technology to run large-scale scams. The tech giant is working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and telecommunications companies AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon to dismantle the network.
In its lawsuit, Google accuses the group, named Outsider Enterprise, of exploiting its technology and brand to commit fraud. The company is seeking a restraining order from the court to halt the network’s activities. Outsider Enterprise allegedly used Gemini to create fake websites mimicking Google services, YouTube, and US government agencies such as the United States Postal Service (USPS) and New York’s E-ZPass toll payment service. However, Google, which controls Gemini, did not detail the internal measures taken to address the misuse of its AI.
The company stated that the fraud operation has impacted hundreds of thousands of victims and is estimated to have caused losses amounting to millions of US dollars. According to Google, the group created approximately 9,000 websites and one million fake URL addresses, and generated 55,000 spam text messages flagged by Android users and 2.5 million messages containing links to fraudulent sites within just two weeks. Google asserted that all this activity stemmed from a single organised cybercrime operation.
Google is advocating for legislative updates to tackle AI-based attacks. The company supports at least seven bipartisan bills in the United States aimed at curbing the misuse of AI for fraudulent activities. These bills include the National Strategy for Combatting Scams Act, the Strategic Task Force on Scam Prevention Act, the STOP Scams Against Seniors Act, and the AI Plan Act.
US Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick said that crimes committed using AI tools are not merely spam. “This is not spam. This is organised transnational crime moving through our phones and it requires a response that is as coordinated and aggressive as the threat we face,” he said. FBI Assistant Director Brett Leatherman noted that criminals are increasingly using AI to make scams appear more convincing and harder to detect. “We need permanent solutions to bring them to justice,” he said.