India orders removal of Google Firebase accounts after spotting scam pattern

India has ordered Google to remove hundreds of Firebase accounts after discovering a pattern of criminals using the platform to impersonate major banks and carry out cyber fraud, according to government notices and a source familiar with the situation. Online scams have become a major concern for Indian law enforcement, with citizens losing nearly $2.4 billion in alleged cyber fraud in 2025, as reported by government data.

In the past, the government had tackled scammers by ordering the removal of their websites. However, officials have recently observed a pattern of scammers using Google's Firebase tool, which has millions of users globally. In August alone, the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) directed the removal of at least 57 websites and databases hosted on Firebase, alleging that they were used to distribute malware and steal sensitive financial information from victims' phones, as revealed by three notices sent to Google and reviewed by Reuters.