New Fraud Schemes Emerge on Telegram: Scammers Steal Gifts

Criminals are stealing digital gifts and committing other offenses.

Telegram’s management is warning users about new types of scams. One of these involves stealing gifts within the messenger.

Users are persuaded to connect a chatbot and grant it permissions to manage their gifts, followed by a request to “test” the bot.

Once this is done, scammers gain access to all of the victim’s gifts. These can then be sold for virtual currency—“stars”—which are later converted into cryptocurrency.

Telegram urges users to remain vigilant and avoid chatting with strangers. Additionally, users should not grant administrator rights to chatbots.

It’s also advised to ignore offers of easy money on Telegram. These are often part of fraudulent schemes.

Police have uncovered another illegal activity: scammers were using other people’s accounts to commit crimes. In total, they deceived over a thousand individuals.

The perpetrators acquired or rented accounts, mainly from minors.

Police warn that the formal owner of an account is legally responsible for its activity. Users who rent out their accounts risk becoming accomplices to crimes.