Telegram scammers are only getting smarter, and filtering out potential fraudsters from your legitimate contact list isn’t easy.
Questions relating to Telegram’s safety have swirled around the internet for years now, and it’s crucial you know how to spot the most common Telegram scams.
For each one, we address how it starts, what the scammers want, and how to avoid them. You’ll learn how to recognize these scams and protect yourself from financial loss, allowing you to message your friends in peace.
Key Takeaways
- Telegram scammers are almost always after money, either asking for it directly or exploiting personal information to obtain it later.
- Scammers often impersonate your friends or organizations, using this deceit to gain your trust.
- Most Telegram scammers use pressure tactics, pushing you to make quick decisions before you verify who they are.
- You can steer clear of most scams simply by exercising a healthy skepticism of emergency requests and too-good-to-be-true offers, which often indicate suspicious activity.
7 Common Telegram Scams and Ways To Avoid Them
Our team researched and collated a list of the seven most common Telegram scams and specific actions to avoid them.
If you believe you’ve been contacted by a scammer through Telegram, immediately block them and report the account to Telegram to prevent them from scamming others.
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1. The Romance Scam
How it starts:
The romance scam almost always begins on a separate app. Typically, someone with an attractive profile picture will match with you on a dating app, send you a DM on a social media platform such as Instagram, or contact you on another popular messaging app. After you’ve built a connection, they’ll ask to move the conversation to Telegram.
What they want:
Romance scammers usually exploit their emotional connection with you to ask for money directly. They may make up an emergency, such as a hospital bill that needs to be paid urgently, or ask for money to buy a flight to visit you.
How to avoid it:
2. The Phishing Scam
How it starts:
Phishers generally begin their scam with an unsolicited Telegram message. The message may contain a link to a fake version of a familiar website where you’re prompted to enter your login details to access your account. The phisher also might claim to have leaked personal photos or information and provide a link to a site where you have to input personal details to view or delete the content.
What they want:
In most cases, phishers want to take money from you indirectly by first obtaining your personal information. You input your details into their fake website, and they access it from the backend. Then, they use those credentials to log into your bank accounts and transfer out your money, or even steal your identity and open a credit card in your name, which they then use to purchase whatever they want.
How to avoid it:
3. The Loved One In Need Scam
How it starts:
You’ll receive a Telegram message from someone posing as a close friend or family member who’s in an emergency. For instance, they’ll tell you they’re stranded in the middle of nowhere or just got into a car accident. They may even give a convincing reason why they’re contacting you on Telegram and not via a regular text message.
What they want:
These scammers are looking for your money or personal information—whatever they can get their hands on. They’ll usually ask for money through Venmo, PayPal, Zelle, or another personal money transfer app.
How to avoid it:
Always be cautious of any urgent requests for money, regardless of who they seem to come from.
4. The Investment Scam
How it starts:
A so-called business professional will send you a Telegram message outlining a potential investment, usually one with very high profits for minimal effort. The investment might involve cryptocurrency, real estate, or another high-profit industry that people often find confusing. This makes it easier for scammers to deceive you, and they’ll usually pressure you to act quickly before it’s too late.
What they want:
Investment scammers are always after your money—which is why they ask you to invest. But some are also after your identity, which they can use to impersonate you to conduct illicit business dealings.
How to avoid it:
- Research any potential investment by checking official company websites and consulting trusted financial news sources. You could also ask the opinion of a licensed financial advisor or use resources like the SEC’s database to check the legitimacy of the investment.
- Immediately steer clear if you’re being pressured to invest quickly.
5. The Fake Reward Scam
How it starts:
You’ll receive an automated Telegram message informing you that you’re the winner of a new iPhone, a sum of cash, or some other prize. Sometimes, the scammer will affiliate the giveaway with a big brand name or a celebrity in an attempt to seem more legitimate.
What they want:
Fake reward scammers are primarily after your email address, phone number, password, or personal financial data, which they ask you to enter to obtain your “reward.” They may also ask for a “processing fee” before you can claim the “reward,” but the bulk of their scam relies on using your information to exploit you later on.
How to avoid it:
- Be skeptical of automated prize notifications. If you didn’t enter a giveaway in the first place, you definitely didn’t win.
- Never provide personal information or make payments to receive “rewards.” While some legitimate giveaways may ask for basic details, like your name or email, they should never request payment or sensitive information, such as your Social Security number.
6. The Job Listing Scam
How it starts:
An ad will pop up on Telegram from a job recruiter, usually advertising a remote work position with a high salary and low qualifications. The job description is typically vague so as to make the ad enticing to as many people as possible.
What they want:
Though the job listing scammer may ask for a small sum of money upfront for a “training” or “application” fee, what they’re really after is your personal information. This includes your bank login details, Social Security Number, or any PINs.
How to avoid it:
- Research the company advertised in the job listing before applying.
- Avoid jobs that ask for upfront payments.
- Use LinkedIn to verify recruiter identities.
- Be cautious of unrealistic job offers. Again, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
7. The Bot Tech Support Scam
How it starts:
A bot, posing as a company support team, contacts you on Telegram. Usually, the message will alert you to some urgent problem with your account or software. The “company” may encourage you to call them through Telegram.
What they want:
Bot tech support scammers want your personal information, such as login credentials or banking details. They’ll usually try to obtain the information through malicious links or directly through a phone call that connects you to a fake, automated help center.
How to avoid it:
- Never trust unsolicited messages from individuals you don’t know, and check for signs that a message might be from a bot. Signs include generic responses, repetitive phrases, or messages sent at odd hours.
- Verify any message claiming to be from a reputable company or help center. You can do this by visiting the company’s official channel or website to confirm whether you’re messaging the official Telegram account or by calling their customer service directly.
Conclusion
Scammers use Telegram to impersonate loved ones, trusted companies, or attractive individuals, and then pressuring you into making a quick decision. Their ultimate goal is always to steal your money or personal information for their own benefit.
Always practice general skepticism of any unsolicited messages, confirm the identities of any “friends” and “companies” independently, and never provide personal details or send money to strangers. If you can, block and report suspicious accounts to Telegram to help prevent further scams.
To learn how scammers can target you on other apps besides Telegram, read our recent article about a new LinkedIn job scam.
