Scammed by a Telegram Account? What to Do in the First 24 Hours

If you were scammed by a Telegram account, act in this order: secure your Telegram account (sessions and two-step verification), contact your bank or payment provider the same day, save evidence, report the account to Telegram and to @notoscam, and file a report with your national fraud authority. Then ignore anyone who offers to "recover" your money for a fee. That offer is almost always a second scam.

Being scammed is stressful, and when it happened while talking to an adult creator, embarrassment can make people freeze. You have nothing to be ashamed of. Scammers rely on silence; reporting quickly gives you the best chance of limiting the damage and helps protect other fans. TeleSearch is for adults (18+) only, and this guide applies to any Telegram scam.

First: secure your Telegram account

Do this even if you think only money was taken. Many scams also try to capture your account.

1. Review active sessions. Open Settings, then Devices. Terminate any device or location you do not recognise, then choose "Terminate all other sessions".
2. Set or change your two-step verification password. Settings, Privacy and Security, Two-Step Verification. If you typed your password into a website, change it now. Add a recovery email you control.
3. Check your username and profile. Make sure nobody changed your username, name or photo.
4. Warn your contacts if your account may have been used. Taken-over accounts often send the same scam to everyone in the address book.

If you lost access, log in again with your phone number (the code arrives by SMS or on another device still logged in). If someone set a password you do not know, use "Forgot password" with your recovery email, and contact telegram.org/support.

Second: contact your bank or payment provider

What you can do depends on how you paid. Call the same day if you can: disputes often have deadlines, and earlier reports are more likely to succeed.

Credit or debit card

Call the number on the back of your card. Ask them to block the card if you shared its details, and to open a dispute (chargeback) for any payment you were deceived into making or did not authorise. Explain that you were misled about who you were paying.

PayPal or another wallet

Open a dispute in the app or website through its resolution centre. Protection depends on the type of payment: purchases usually have more protection than transfers to "friends and family". Report the recipient account at the same time.

Bank transfer

Contact your bank immediately and ask whether the transfer can be recalled. Some countries have reimbursement rules for certain kinds of fraud; your bank can tell you whether your case qualifies.

Gift cards

Contact the company that issued the gift card (the brand on the card) right away with the card number and receipt. If the code has not been spent yet, they may be able to freeze it.

Cryptocurrency

Crypto transfers cannot be reversed by you or by your exchange. Still, report the transaction to the exchange or wallet provider you sent it from, giving the destination address and transaction ID. Exchanges sometimes freeze accounts linked to reported fraud when the funds pass through them.

Telegram Stars

Star purchases are final under Telegram's terms, but report the account to Telegram so it can act. If a bot did not deliver what you paid for, send it /paysupport; if that fails, report the transaction from Settings > My Stars.

Third: save the evidence

Before you block or delete anything, take screenshots of:

• The account's profile, showing the display name and the exact @username.
• The full conversation, including any links and payment instructions.
• Receipts, transaction IDs, wallet addresses or gift card numbers.
• Where you first found the account (a link, a group, a comment).

Store copies outside Telegram. Your bank, Telegram and the police may all ask for them.

Fourth: report the account

On Telegram

Open the account's profile, use the menu (three dots), choose Report, and select the closest reason. Then send a short description of what happened to Telegram's official scam reporting account, @notoscam. Finally, Block the account.

Telegram marks accounts it confirms as fraudulent with a red "SCAM" label, which warns other users. Several clear reports help.

On TeleSearch

If the account was listed on TeleSearch, or used a listed creator's name, tell us through the report page. Reports are reviewed by the team. We take impersonation reports seriously. If you are a creator whose identity was used, see our article on fake Telegram creator accounts.

With the authorities

Reporting to the police or your national fraud authority creates an official record, which some banks require and which helps investigators link cases. Examples:

• United States: the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov, and the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at ic3.gov.
• United Kingdom: Action Fraud (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) or Police Scotland.
• European Union and elsewhere: your national police or consumer fraud service; many have an online reporting form.

You do not have to describe private conversations in detail beyond what is needed. Focus on the facts: who, when, how much, how paid.

Fifth: watch out for the second scam

Victims of a first scam are often targeted again. Be suspicious of:

• "Recovery agents" or "hackers" who promise to get your money back for a fee.
• Anyone claiming to be from Telegram, the police or your bank who contacts you on Telegram and asks for payment, codes or remote access.
• The original scammer threatening to share your conversation unless you pay. Do not pay. Stop responding, keep the evidence, report it to Telegram and the police. Paying usually leads to more demands.

Real Telegram support never asks for your login code, and real authorities do not ask for fees in crypto or gift cards.

How to avoid it next time

• Find creators through links they published themselves or through a checked directory. Every TeleSearch listing is checked to be a live personal Telegram account before it goes live (how we verify).
• Cross-check the @username on the creator's own profiles before paying. Our guide how to tell if a Telegram creator is real has a checklist.
• Use our payment checklist before sending money.
• Turn on the privacy settings that hide your phone number and protect your account.
• Read the common patterns in Telegram scams to avoid.

Frequently asked questions

Can Telegram refund money I lost to a scammer?

Telegram does not handle payments made outside the app, so refunds go through your bank, card issuer or payment provider. Telegram can act on the account itself after a report.

Should I keep talking to the scammer to get my money back?

No. Stop engaging, keep the evidence and report. Continued contact usually leads to more pressure or new demands.

Is it worth reporting a small amount?

Yes. Reports help banks, Telegram and the police connect cases, and the same account is usually targeting many people.

Someone offered to recover my money. Is it real?

Almost certainly not. Recovery offers that require an upfront fee are a well-known follow-up scam. Only work with your bank, payment provider or the police.

The scammer is threatening to share our chat. What should I do?

Do not pay and do not negotiate. Stop responding, save everything, report the account to Telegram and @notoscam, and contact the police. Paying rarely ends the threats.