India orders Google Firebase scam account takedown

India's India — Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) has directed Alphabet Inc. to shut down hundreds of accounts on its Google — Firebase web development platform after identifying a pattern of criminals misusing the service to impersonate major banks and defraud people. In August alone, I4C ordered the removal of at least 57 websites and databases hosted on Google — Firebase, citing their use in distributing malware and stealing sensitive financial information from victims' phones. Seven of these were phishing pages mimicking State Bank of India, ICICI Bank, and Axis Bank, while the rest collected stolen data including credit card details and one-time passwords. The notices, reviewed by Reuters, did not suggest Alphabet Inc. or Google — Firebase were responsible, but Alphabet Inc. can be held liable if links are not removed within three hours. Scammers have been migrating to Google — Firebase due to its free options and database features, targeting India's booming digital payments ecosystem. One scheme exploited India — Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi, a government program for farmers, luring victims to download malicious apps. Indians lost nearly $2.4 billion to cyber fraud in 2025. Alphabet Inc. stated it prohibits phishing, malware, and financial fraud and cooperates with law enforcement.