How To Spot A Telegram Scam Group

Telegram scam

Everyone knows Telegram messenger. And if you don’t you should Google it right now, download, and start using the App. For those who don’t know, Telegram was invented in 2013 by Pavel Durov and Nikiolai Durov (Russians) as an instant messaging service you could use to exchange texts, videos, photos, make voice and video calls, etc. Apps are available on all major operating systems: Android, IoS, Windows, etc. To say the App has become popular is a great understatement. Its Alexa rank of 188 is no surprise considering telegram boasts over 1 million new users every day. Let that sink in.  What’s the big deal, isn’t it just like WhatsApp? Yeah, it has some similarities, true but it is faster, more secure, and has more features than WhatsApp. If you’re a regular telegram user, you certainly have your favorite features. For me, it’s the fact that I can edit already sent messages. And I can also see the chat history of the groups I join.

This brings us to the next issue. In fact, we are sure that was exactly why you clicked on this post. Because of its many awesome features, Telegram has since drawn the attention of scammers who use it to lure unsuspecting ones to part with their money. Remember when ICOs (Initial Coin Offering) were still a thing? Feels like so long ago. At least 90% of ICOs turned out to be scams, that is not news. Legit ICOs and scam ICOs had one of many things in common – Telegram groups. And it makes sense. If you’re launching a product or a platform, you’ll need a platform where you can easily engage with potential customers and users. Telegram provided very useful features for startups. For example, you could create a super group that could house up to 200,000 group members. You can also create Telegram channels that worked like newsfeed that you can use to broadcast messages. Telegram also allows you to easily design and use bots to manage these groups. Many legitimate startups still make use of telegram groups to instantly reach their audience. In fact, I recommend telegram to anyone thinking of ever launching a startup. It’s easy,  effective, and most importantly, free. You don’t even need to have the mobile numbers of people, with just their telegram usernames, you can find anyone.

The problem?

Scammers have since made telegram their platform of choice due to the same beautiful features that makes all of us love telegram. Telegram scams are so rampant. Scammers have created all kinds of scam groups promising huge returns on investment. And then if you’re gullible enough to engage them, they instantly block you. It doesn’t stop there. To make sure there’s no evidence of their crime, with telegram clear chat feature these scammers will erase all records of your conversations with them. Many times they also use the telegram secret chat feature to prevent you from redirecting the chat to a third-party who could track them down.

I spot telegram scams from afar. But sadly, many still fall for these scams even in 2020. This is mainly due to naivety and lack of information on the part of these victims.

This is why I’m giving you all the information you need. I’ve compiled a quick list of the red flags to look out for on telegram to ensure you will never fall for a telegram scam again. You right want to consider bookmarking this page.

Here are the red flags

  • Contact by strangers: It’s easy to gloss over this. But most telegram scam stories start out like this. You were contacted by a stranger who invited you to a group or website that turned out to be a scam. If a stranger you have never given out your username to contacts you out of the blue asking you to try out one juicy offer or the other, you should immediately chalk it off as a scam. Do not make excuses. In my experience, a juicy offer is more often than not,  a scam. Imagine a stranger offering you a 150% return on your investment. Come on.
  • Unauthentic payment proof:  When you join a group where many members are showing off payment proofs that should immediately get your Spidey senses up. Think about it logically- if you’ve actually been paid, the last thing you want to do is to show off your earnings to a bunch of strangers. Indeed, there’s almost that one oddball who decides to show-off his earnings even in the legit groups. But really what are the chances that several people are showing off payment proofs every day? If you’re in a group like that, leave now. The earlier you wait the more chances of you getting sucked in.
  • Inspirational messages: These scam platforms always have one thing in common- they’ll try to convince you to invest using all kinds of lazy, cheesy inspirational messages and quoting great philosophers. They’ll preach to you about financial freedom, about why there’s a huge reward for risk-takers and all kinds of nonsense. I’ve been in my fair share of telegram scam groups so I find these messages mostly boring. If they were legit offers, they wouldn’t need to shame you into investing.
  • No website: This is just lazy. It’s shocking and if I’m being honest very insulting that many of these scam telegram groups would think anyone would fall for a scam even without a website. Why will a platform promising huge returns not be able to afford a website? Only one explanation. It’s a scam. Websites are so cheap to get. However, I have to stress this: Just because the scammers have a website doesn’t mean it’s not a scam. These red flags should be considered in clusters rather than just isolating one or two. If you don’t catch them on one particular red flag, you’ll definitely catch them in others.
  • Fake conversations: If you’re an actual human being and not a bot you know how regular conversations go. You could also distinguish how different people chat. Please put this skill to good use when in telegram groups. Read the chat history of the group. If you observe that different members have the same chat/conversation patterns, it’s most likely a scam.
  • Getting kicked out for asking questions: The first thing I do in a telegram group where I didn’t ask to be added and don’t know who has added me is I ask questions. Lots of questions. Fair right? Not to telegram group scam admins. They’ll ban you easily for asking questions, pointing out inconsistencies, or outrightly accusing them of being scammers. Why?  Telegram scammers don’t want you asking questions that could potentially expose them and discourage other members from falling for their scam. Telegram scammers will rather ban and block you than trying to explain themselves.

My Advice?

Know this telegram scam red flags well and you will never get scammed again. Bookmark this page for easy reference. Also, don’t forget to share the link with your friends. It could be the difference between getting scammed and keeping your money safe.

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