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Telegram Messenger is one of the top 10 popular apps worldwide. It boats over 500 million downloads and has features that give it an edge over other messaging apps. These are:
These extra features are the loopholes exploited by scammers to deceive trusting users on the platform.
Telegram’s feature of having large groups makes it a good hunting ground for scammers to prey on victims. Be on the alert for these scams:
This is the most common type of Telegram scam. The platform provides a fishing pool for unsuspecting people interested in investing and growing their money quickly. Here’s the catch: scammers always promise abnormally high returns to get your attention. Yet that is the warning of a coming scam.
Always do your due diligence in assessing an investment opportunity before putting your money in.
The most common Telegram employment scam is advertising for fake non-existent jobs. These ‘employers’ will demand payment before joining the ‘company’ for made-up reasons such as training materials and equipment. There is no genuine organization that demands payment from the employees. Beware of scams in the job market.
Scammers impersonate business executives, celebrities, or big corporations to falsely claim that you have won a prize. The catch is that you need to pay a fee to receive the prize, usually said to be for ‘shipping’. Ever heard of a free giveaway that’s not really free? This is one of them. Please beware.
This is a crypto scam that offers high-limit crypto trading accounts. A high-limit account should enable you to trade higher volumes of cryptocurrencies at a go.
Only that such accounts do not have the high limits promised, or do not exist at all. The scammer’s goal is to get you to pay first. Should you go along with it and pay, the scammer will disappear with your money. Watch out for these crypto scams that are on the rise today.
The idea appeals to potential and current users who trade in cryptocurrency. Scammers approach crypto traders with accounts in Coinbase with promises of splitting profits after they trade. So, the scammer uses the victim’s account to trade digital currencies using stolen credit cards. When the account gets flagged, you are left in trouble with the authorities. The scammer who traded with the account already transferred the gains to their account.
Low prices, bargains, offers, and deals on Telegram are not all true. But the trap is usually set here. Then you are directed to a website for the real scam. It may be a phishing link that is set up for identity theft to facilitate credit card fraud. A scammer’s ultimate goal is your money, not the “super deals” on offer.
Doing your due diligence is the best defense against all scammers. It applies to these Telegram scams. Always check details given before sending money or submitting your name, credit card number, or bank details. You'd rather be safe than sorry!
