“Fraudsters commonly use pressure tactics like urgency, scarcity and trust. Be cautious of impulse buying, endorsements from unfamiliar sources, clicking on random ads and when using less secure payment channels,” said Anderson.
“Scammers try to create a sense of urgency with “limited-time” deals and countdown timers or they’ll provide fake reviews, influencer endorsements, and testimonials to appear legitimate but which may be AI-generated.”
“Many scam sites spread social media ads. Always check and re-check Web domain names and reviews before purchasing. When buying, avoid direct bank transfers or cryptocurrency payments, which lack fraud protections.”
Phishing & malware
Cyber-attacks come in many forms with phishing and malware among the more common. The best defence against phishing is awareness and knowing what to look for. There is a range of advice for consumers on Microsoft’s website.
Malware, short for malicious software, can be transmitted either through email attachments or by downloading content from a link. While most people today know not to open unexpected attachments or links, consumers should also ensure their PCs are up to date with the latest patches and fixes, and have active, current anti-malware programs running.
Microsoft Defender Smartscreen, which is integrated into Windows and Microsoft Edge, also helps protect against unsafe browsing habits by analysing websites, files, and applications based on their reputation and behaviour.
AI-enhanced scams
“AI has started to lower the bar for fraud and cybercriminals are misusing the technology to make it easier and cheaper to generate believable content for scams at an increasingly rapid rate.”
“In some cases, they are luring their victims into increasingly complex fraud schemes---using deepfakes, voice cloning, phishing emails, and authentic-looking fake websites---threat actors seek to appear legitimate at wider scale.”
“Microsoft is working to stop scammers from misusing AI tools via our Responsible AI initiatives. We’re building stronger protections into our own products to detect and block fake content and teaming up with others to improve safety standards generally.”
“Our goal is to see AI is used responsibly—and not as a tool for fraud and other criminal activity,” Mark said.
Microsoft Security Snapshot
Between April 2024 and April 2025, Microsoft:
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Thwarted $6.2 billon (USD $4 billion) in fraud attempts.
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Rejected 49,000 fraudulent partnership enrolments.
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Blocked about 1.6 million bot signup attempts per hour.
For more check out the ScamWatch website or Microsoft’s regular Cyber Signals.