Microsoft reveals fake job offers and AI scams are targeting people around the world: Here’s how you can stay safe

Microsoft

Microsoft has revealed in a report that every single hour, about 1.6 million fake accounts try to sign up on Microsoft’s services. The report further says that between April 2024 and April 2025, they blocked fraud attempts worth a whopping $4 billion. All of this is happening because cybercriminals are getting smarter, and now they’ve started using AI to make their scams look even more real.

These days, scammers don’t even need to be tech geniuses. With AI, they can create fake online stores in minutes, complete with glowing reviews, product photos, and customer service chatbots that sound just like real people. You might think you’re buying from a trusted brand — but it could be a scam site made by someone sitting miles away.

Job scams are also on the rise. Some people receive fake job offers with interviews done by AI-generated faces or voices. It’s hard to tell what’s real and what’s not. That’s why Microsoft is suggesting job platforms use extra security checks, like two-factor authentication and Verified IDs.

Then there’s the classic tech support scam. A scammer pretends to be from a trusted company like Microsoft and tricks people into giving them remote access to their computers. Microsoft’s tool called Quick Assist was being misused for this. So now, they’ve added warnings and built-in checks to stop suspicious connections, blocking thousands of these every day.

Microsoft is also using smart tech like Digital Fingerprinting and AI-powered detection systems to spot fake job listings, scam websites, and phishing emails. They’ve even added features in Microsoft Edge to alert users about risky sites and fake warnings that try to scare people into downloading harmful software.