Reported by 1 outlet
FBI, Google, and Lumen Shut Down "Outsider" — China-Based AI-Powered Phishing Empire Responsible for $1.9 Billion in Losses
Why this score
- Breadth
- 0.50 / 2.0 · 1 source
- Authority
- 1.50 / 2.0 · best outlet weight
- Severity
- 0.50 / 5.0 · CVSS + content signals
- Velocity
- 0.00 / 2.0 · updates in 48h
- Pickup speed
- 0.00 / 0.6 · time to second source
- Recency
- × 0.00 temporal multiplier
- Community
- + 0.00 / 1.5 · reddit signal
- Score
- 0.0 / 10 = base × recency + community
Timeline
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original reporting
FBI, Google, and Lumen Shut Down "Outsider" — China-Based AI-Powered Phishing Empire Responsible for $1.9 Billion in Losses
cyberscoop.com · 123d ago · June 13th, 2026
The FBI, Google, and Lumen Technologies took down Outsider, a massive China-based cybercrime platform that provided phishing kits and hosted infrastructure for cybercriminals since July 2023, in an operation dubbed "Operation Ghost Hook." Outsider operated as a phishing-as-a-service enterprise, offering kits to create fake login pages and SMS/PIN/email verification bypass — all for as low as $88/week — and provided step-by-step instructions for customers to use Gemini and other AI platforms to generate custom phishing code.
Operation results: FBI seized several core admin server domains, a Shopify storefront, and ~$100K from Outsider payment wallets. Authorities recovered 3.9 million stolen credit cards traced to Outsider's phishing domains. Google is working with AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon to intercept spam messages, and filed a civil lawsuit to dismantle the network's infrastructure. The platform's operators remain unidentified, but per Google "the operation is supported by multiple cybercrime groups providing different roles with overlapping infrastructure." The takedown was part of the broader Operation Riptide campaign.