Chinese social media users have reported scams involving several corporate communication platforms, including Webex, the video conferencing service owned by Cisco, and Zoho Cliq, a workplace messaging app from Indian software company Zoho. A WIRED analysis found that 71 percent of more than 150 Webex reviews posted to Apple’s China App Store since February 2025 mentioned fraud on the platform. Cisco did not respond to requests for comment.
Zoho spokesperson Sam Wonderl said the company had identified “a limited number of instances in which fraudsters have used Zoho Cliq to defraud victims.” Zoho said it detected the suspicious activity internally. On August 27, the company announced plans to disable online payments for Cliq in China, suspend accounts linked to suspected fraudsters, and discontinue the free version of Cliq in the country.
All roads lead to Teams
Scammers are searching for potential victims across a wide range of online interactions, according to dozens of accounts shared on Chinese social media platforms including Xiaohongshu and Douyin. They may pose as recruiters or job seekers, prospective tenants contacting landlords, dating prospects from Tinder, or overseas buyers seeking products from Chinese factories.
Fraudsters exploit Microsoft Teams’ enterprise features by creating accounts for their targets and providing preconfigured login credentials. Because the scammers control the organization, they can later deactivate accounts and delete access to chat histories that might serve as evidence. To explain unusual account settings, they may claim to use a work device with limited app access or say they created a private Microsoft Teams account exclusively for the victim.
Several other victims who contacted Zhao had apparently encountered the same scammer. One person shared the scammer’s Teams login details with her. Zhao then posed as a new potential victim in an attempt to learn more about how the fraud scheme operated.
Zhao asked why they needed to communicate through Microsoft Teams instead of WeChat, China’s most popular messaging app. The scammer claimed that coworkers could access his WeChat messages because he was working on a company project. He described Teams as “like our secret base where we’re all together.” He also said the account was intended “for team members to contact families during the project.”
“Can I ask you a question? What special meaning does my account ‘joy20706905’ have?” Zhao asked, referring to the username the scammer had provided. “This account was assigned to you by the software when you purchased it from Microsoft,” he replied.
Zhao said Microsoft Teams did not warn her when she was first scammed in May that her conversations might be dangerous. When she contacted the scammer again in August, however, the app displayed a banner stating: “Don’t share sensitive information or your screen with strangers. Report anything suspicious.”
Why do scammers use Microsoft Teams?
Microsoft Teams offers several advantages to Chinese scammers. Unlike Telegram and WhatsApp, the service is not blocked by the Chinese government. It also includes features such as screen sharing and remote control, which can give fraudsters greater access to a victim’s device. Most importantly, Teams is a legitimate workplace communication platform operated by a trusted multinational technology company.
The same advantages make Webex attractive to scammers. Tan Chenxing, a Chinese software engineer living in New York, said he nearly fell victim to a scam earlier this week after receiving a call from someone claiming to be involved in a joint investigation by US Customs and Border Protection and Chinese law enforcement. The caller instructed Tan to download Webex and join a video meeting. “When I researched Webex, I discovered that it was developed by Cisco, the world’s leading cybersecurity software provider,” Tan said. “I happened to know what Cisco was, so I told myself it was okay.”
Source: www.wired.com