India orders shutdown of hundreds of Google Firebase accounts used in banking scams

India’s cybercrime agency has ordered Google to shut down hundreds of accounts on Firebase, the tech giant’s app building platform, after multiple fake banking apps and phishing sites were traced back to the service.

The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center (I4C) sent Google at least three notices in August, naming at least 57 websites and databases in total that all run on Firebase. These sent notices claimed the links were being used as tools for spreading malware and pulling financial data off victims’ devices.

Of these 57 websites and databases, seven were phishing pages built to closely resemble login screens of major Indian banks, including the State Bank of India, ICICI Bank, and Axis Bank. Officials described the others as collection points for stolen information like credit card numbers and one-time passwords.

Credit card scam method

According to an August 17 notice, scammers wrote Android malware camouflaged as real banking apps and went after cardholders specifically. The bait was regular financial temptation, including a new credit card, a reward to redeem, and a higher credit limit.

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