How to spot a Telegram scammer

On Telegram, anyone can set any display name and photo. The username (the part after the @) is unique, so it's what you should check. Impersonators pick usernames that are almost the same as the real one, with an extra letter, an underscore, or a word like "official", "support" or "admin".

Search the username in the box below, or paste a t.me link. If you're talking to someone who claims to be a group's admin, compare their username with the one listed in the group's info.

• Investment and crypto signal groups that show fake profits, then ask for a deposit, then a "fee" or "tax" to withdraw.
• "Support" or "admins" who message you first after you post a question in a group.
• Sellers of accounts, documents or services who want payment in crypto or gift cards, sometimes through a fake "escrow" bot.
• Paid tasks (liking posts, reviewing hotels) that pay small amounts at first, then require deposits to unlock bigger ones.
• Recovery services that promise to get back money you lost to an earlier scam.

• Never send anyone a login code. Telegram sends codes to you and never asks you to pass one on.
• Set a password under Settings > Privacy and Security > Two-Step Verification, so a code alone can't open your account.
• Hide your phone number from people who aren't your contacts in the same Privacy settings.

Stop sending money, including any fee to release a withdrawal; that is how these scams take more. Save screenshots of the chat and the scammer's username before they delete it, report the account from its profile or to @notoscam, and contact your bank or exchange.

Then report the account here. Scammers reuse the same usernames and photos across many victims, and a report is often the first thing the next person finds.