In short
- Google filed a lawsuit in federal court in New York against Outsider Enterprise for using Gemini AI to launch phishing campaigns.
- The defendants allegedly sent 2.5 million fraudulent messages and created 8,000 fraudulent websites targeting financial accounts.
- The FBI estimates that the operation has stolen 3.87 million credit card numbers and cost $1.9 billion since July 2023.
Google prosecuted Friday against the alleged Chinese cybercrime network Outsider Enterprise for using the company’s Gemini AI to create a fraudulent texting campaign that targeted thousands of US victims of a fraudulent website designed to steal financial information.
The defendants allegedly used Gemini AI to generate code and templates for fake websites that mimicked legitimate telecom portals, according to court documents. The FBI said the operation targeted more than 8,000 websites in dozens of countries.
Google received about 55,000 reports of suspicious messages on Google Messages during the two weeks ending June 1, many of which were allegedly linked to Outsider Enterprise. The same court records show that the network stole about 3.87 million credit card numbers, contributing to about $1.9 billion in losses since July 2023.
The websites are said to target a variety of financial accounts, including cryptocurrency wallets and exchange accounts, as scammers target digital wealth holders who may not be able to do more than traditional bank customers.
The case looks like AI-powered financial fraud is spreading across the United States. The FBI received 1,008,597 total crimes online complaints in 2025and crypto-related complaints totaling 181,565 reports and $11 billion in losses—the highest of any type.
For the first time in its nearly 25-year history, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center released a report on phishing scams, which generated 22,364 complaints and cost Americans an estimated $893 million. Operation Level Up, which was established in 2024, identified more than 8,000 people who committed fraud on cryptocurrency and prevented more than $500 million of possible income.
Research has shown that even advanced AIs can encourage bad behaviorraising concerns as companies like Apple including AI capabilities in consumer goods. Google’s lawsuit represents a long-running effort to prosecute wrongdoers for using AI tools against financial systems.
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