Scammers Exploit Microsoft Teams and Webex to Defraud Chinese Users

Fraudsters are increasingly targeting Chinese businesses and individuals through popular enterprise chat platforms such as Microsoft Teams and Cisco Webex, convincing users to transfer large sums of money. Reports from financial regulators and law‑enforcement agencies indicate that the schemes involve fabricated invoices, fake vendor accounts, and urgent payment requests that appear to come from legitimate partners. In recent weeks, the number of complaints has risen sharply, with several victims reporting transfers of several million yuan each.

The surge in incidents has prompted authorities to issue warnings to companies about verifying payment instructions and monitoring unusual activity on shared chat channels. Cyber‑security experts advise that legitimate requests should be confirmed via a separate communication channel before any funds are moved. While investigations are ongoing, the trend underscores the need for stricter controls and user education to mitigate the growing threat of business‑email‑compromise‑style fraud in the digital workplace.