‘The scam begins with a text message,’ Google stated in a lawsuit.
The new Google logo is seen in this illustration taken on May 13, 2025. Dado Ruvic/Reuters
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On Nov. 12, Google filed a lawsuit in New York federal court seeking to shut down a ring of scammers who it claims are operating a China-based international text-based smishing scheme that has allegedly stolen millions of dollars from customers in the United States.
The lawsuit identifies the perpetrators only as a succession of John Does, numbered one through 25.
Chris Summers is a UK-based journalist covering a wide range of national stories, with a particular interest in crime, policing and the law.
