Google filed a federal lawsuit in New York seeking to break up an alleged international text‑message phishing operation that created software called 'Lighthouse' and generated roughly 200,000 fraudulent websites. The company says the campaign impersonated Google, the U.S. Postal Service and other brands, potentially harvesting tens of millions of credit card details and seeking injunctive relief and damages.

According to a November 2025 Reuters report, Google filed suit in federal court after discovering a sophisticated, large‑scale text‑message phishing scheme that relied on custom software dubbed 'Lighthouse.' The complaint alleges operators automated the creation of roughly 200,000 fake landing pages to phish millions of people, using SMS lures that impersonated familiar companies and government entities to harvest payment credentials and personal data. Google is asking the court for orders to disable infrastructure, seize domains and obtain damages tied to the losses and misuse of its trademarks. The filing emphasizes the cross‑border nature of the operation and the technical means used to scale attacks, including orchestration of SMS delivery and deceptive landing pages that mimicked legitimate services. The case underscores private litigation as a tool alongside law enforcement to dismantle modern phishing ecosystems and to compel platforms and registrars to cooperate in disrupting abusive infrastructure.