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Microsoft Teams Introduces Brand Impersonation Protection to Stop Scam Calls

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Microsoft Teams Introduces Brand Impersonation Protection to Stop Scam Calls

New fraud warnings aim to block fake “trusted organization” calls before users answer

Microsoft is rolling out a new security feature in Microsoft Teams designed to protect users from phone-based social engineering and impersonation scams.

The feature, called Brand Impersonation Protection, will begin rolling out to the targeted release ring in mid-February and will be enabled by default for all users.

How the New Protection Works

Brand Impersonation Protection analyzes incoming VoIP calls from first-time external callers and checks for signals that suggest brand impersonation. If Teams detects suspicious behavior, it displays a high-risk warning before the call is answered.

Even after a call is accepted, Teams may continue to show warnings if suspicious indicators persist during the conversation.

Users can:

  • Accept the call
  • Block the caller
  • End the call immediately

This approach aims to disrupt scams where attackers pretend to represent banks, government agencies, IT support, or well-known brands.

Why Microsoft Is Adding This Feature

Voice-based scams have surged in recent years, especially attacks that rely on urgency, authority, or trust to manipulate victims. By flagging risky calls early, Microsoft wants to reduce the success of:

  • Business email compromise (BEC) follow-ups via phone
  • Fake IT support calls
  • Financial and identity-theft scams

Microsoft stated that the feature strengthens caller identity protection and improves overall tenant security for Teams users.

What IT and Security Teams Should Know

Although the feature turns on automatically, Microsoft recommends that organizations:

  • Brief helpdesk and support teams about the new warnings
  • Update internal security awareness and training materials
  • Prepare users for seeing high-risk call alerts starting next month

Clear communication can prevent confusion when users encounter these warnings for the first time.

Part of a Broader Teams Security Push

This update follows other recent Teams security improvements, including:

  • Automatic malicious URL detection
  • Blocking weaponizable file types
  • Improved reporting for false positives
  • Upcoming admin alerts for suspicious external domain traffic

With over 320 million monthly users, Microsoft continues to expand Teams security to counter evolving social engineering tactics.

Ashif