Google said on Monday that it has filed a lawsuit against someone accused of using a web of fake websites and Google products to market a fraudulent basset hound puppy business targeting the elderly.
Google’s CyberCrime Investigation Group manager Albert Shin and senior counsel Mike Trinh said in a blog post that the alleged culprit – named Nche Noel Ntse in the lawsuit – “used a network of fraudulent websites that claimed to sell basset hound puppies — with alluring photos and fake customer testimonials — in order to take advantage of people during the pandemic.”
The lawsuit says Ntse is based in Cameroon and “runs multiple non-delivery websites that deceive and defraud internet users in the United States.”
“Some of these fraudulent websites purport to sell adorable puppies, and victims are tricked into believing the websites are legitimate because of their alluring photos of purebred puppies and compelling testimonials from supposedly satisfied customers,” Google explained.
“But Defendant does not actually sell puppies, and instead is running multiple international non-delivery scams with the intent to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting high demand for puppies in the U.S.”
According to Google, Ntse violated their terms of service by using Gmail, Google Voice and several other Google services to perpetrate the scam through dozens of fraudulent Google…
