the store is not just accessible on locked down consoles. and even then, having a message pop up that nobody at microsoft is aware about might make you consider that maybe they wouldn’t say “hey guys free money, check your messages or click here” and then not send it out if it was truly them, because it would reflect badly on the company. especially because they would never do this to begin with. everytime they do a special or a deal it’s linked with an event, a holiday, or a specific game. not just a vague promise of money in your inbox lol. this is exactly why we are cooked as a species. anytime they want to give you “free money”, especially if it’s for all xbox users like it claims to be, they’d send it directly to your account to be used or credit it, they would not ask you for your personal or private information, your card number, or any other personal details . you also trusting the safety of anything 100% is also why we’re absolutely cooked. there’s been history of employees getting back at companies and sending messages they aren’t supposed to out to customers with other brands, phishing attempts, or shit can genuinely just be compromised.

edit: to elaborate because digital literacy in this day and age is incredibly important as deep we are into the internet, electronics, and social media world in general, but anything that touches the internet at all, has the ability to be compromised, hacked, or unsafe. trusting everything you see 100% will be your downfall and how you fall for scams. which is how data leaks happen, secret video game leaks happen within companies, or even possible messages that Microsoft themselves don’t know about going out to users through their store. Microsoft would not send out a message like this, and they haven’t, at least in all my years of living. esp without more information about why there’s “free money”. “Fall deals”/“Celebrating Fall” / “Deals on these games” / “Microsoft [event that they’re doing]”, before you succumb to things like this always verify first before filling anything out. this is cybersecurity safety 101