Microsoft Teams has become a favored tool for scammers operating in China, with victims reporting losses ranging from EUR 1,288 to EUR 257,666 through cryptocurrency investment schemes launched on the platform.
One victim, identified only by her last name Zhao for privacy reasons, said she trusted the app because it was developed by Microsoft and she had used it before. After a scammer moved their conversation to Teams, he promised a future relationship and introduced her to a cryptocurrency investment project he claimed would generate profits faster than trading stocks. Zhao said she took out loans from several banks to invest more, only to have the scammer vanish with all of her money. Because she can no longer log into the Teams account the scammer instructed her to use, she cannot provide chat logs to police.
A Recurring Pattern Across Victims
After sharing her experience on social media, Zhao said she heard from dozens of other people in China caught in the same scheme. Only one reported recovering any funds, by tracking down the recipient’s bank account. The victims described an identical sequence: at some point, they were told to download Microsoft Teams and log in using credentials supplied by the scammers.
The tactic has grown common enough that some local law enforcement bureaus in China have issued warnings naming Teams directly, with one describing it as a “fraud-related app.” Maimai, a Chinese platform similar to LinkedIn, told Chinese media last year that it would automatically warn users when it detected high-risk keywords such as “Teams” and “Skype” in messages.
Years of Warnings in App Store Reviews
Alleged victims have been posting angry reviews of Teams on Chinese app stores for years, some urging others not to download it. An analysis of the past 18 months of Teams reviews on Apple’s Chinese app store found that 30 percent of 500 reviews included explicit complaints about scammers. The oldest review flagging scams dated to 2022. One review from January described a “pig-butchering” scam that cost the writer RMB 1.48 million, or about EUR 188,955, in a case police had opened.
Microsoft’s Response
Microsoft said scammers routinely exploit trusted brands and communication platforms for social engineering schemes. Steven Masada, global head of Microsoft’s digital crimes division, said the company “investigates reports of abuse, takes action against accounts that violate our policies, and continues to strengthen protections designed to identify and disrupt fraudulent activity.”
In June, Microsoft began displaying a general warning banner to Teams users in China, cautioning them about common scams and urging care when sharing sensitive information. The company also discontinued the personal version of Teams in China, making the service available in the country only through enterprise accounts. On Chinese social media, users have reported variations of the scam involving other corporate software applications.
