Google & FBI vs. China AI Scam: First Joint Lawsuit

Google has filed its first joint lawsuit with the FBI against a Chinese cybercrime network. This network, called "Outsider Enterprise," allegedly used Google's AI system Gemini to target hundreds of thousands of Americans with financial fraud. What's interesting is that OpenAI also blocked two clusters of activity linked to China. These clusters reportedly used ChatGPT to influence debates about US tech policy. The lawsuit by Google claims the "Outsider Enterprise" built 131 software kits. These kits created thousands of fake websites impersonating Google, YouTube, and other services. In May, the network sent 2.5 million messages to Android users, leading them to fake websites and fraudulent URLs. Google's General Counsel stated this is the first time the company is working with the FBI and carriers like AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon on such a lawsuit. They are seeking a restraining order to help shut down the network. The FBI notes that criminals are increasingly using AI to make scams more convincing. This highlights the growing threat of AI-powered fraud and influence campaigns.