How to report a Telegram scammer

Telegram hosts several recurring scam formats. Recognizing the pattern early is the best defense, since the accounts and channels involved are often disposable and replaced as soon as they are reported or blocked.

• Fake investment or trading channels: a channel posts screenshots of large profits, testimonials and a countdown to a "limited" signup window for a trading bot, signal group or managed fund. Payment is usually requested in cryptocurrency to a wallet controlled by the operator.
• Fake support accounts: an account with a name and photo resembling an exchange, wallet provider or Telegram itself messages users first, claiming to help with a "verification" or "security" issue and asking for a recovery phrase, code or remote access.
• Giveaway and airdrop bots: a bot or channel announces a token giveaway that requires connecting a wallet, sending a small "activation" amount, or entering a seed phrase into a linked site, which then drains the wallet.
• Impersonated admins: in a group, an account copies the name and photo of a real admin or moderator and privately messages members offering "exclusive" deals, support or investment access outside the group's official channels.
• Escrow scams: in peer-to-peer trades (crypto, gift cards, accounts), the scammer proposes a middleman or "escrow bot" that is in fact controlled by the scammer, who releases funds to themselves once payment is sent.

Telegram usernames can be changed or dropped, and channels and bots can be deleted or renamed at any time. Whenever possible, gather the following before you report, block, or leave a chat:

• Username and numeric user ID: the @username can change, but Telegram also assigns a permanent numeric ID. Some third-party bots or the "Copy Link" feature can help surface it; note it whenever you can, since it is more reliable for identification than the display name.
• Invite links: save the exact t.me invite link for the group, channel or bot, including any parameters after the slash.
• Message screenshots with timestamps: capture the full conversation, including Telegram's visible date and time stamps, not just the message text.
• Forwarded messages: if a message was forwarded to you, Telegram shows the original sender's name; screenshot this attribution before it can be edited or the source account is deleted.
• Payment and wallet details: record cryptocurrency addresses, exchange handles, bank details or payment app usernames provided during the conversation, along with any transaction references.

Store copies outside Telegram itself (a document, email draft or cloud folder) so that deleting the chat on either side does not remove your record.

Telegram's mobile and desktop apps let you report directly from a conversation, channel or bot profile. Open the profile, use the menu (often shown as three dots or under "More"), and choose an option such as "Report." You are usually asked to select a category, for example spam, scam, violence or fake account, and can add a short message with screenshots.

For groups and channels, reporting a specific message is often more effective than reporting the group as a whole, since it gives the review team concrete content to assess. You can also block the account or bot from the same profile screen to stop further contact.

If the in-app option is not available or the account has already left the conversation, Telegram also accepts reports by email to its abuse addresses, which are listed on Telegram's official website and privacy pages. When emailing, include the invite link, username, numeric ID if known, and screenshots with timestamps.

Reporting inside Telegram can lead to a message, account, channel or bot being removed, but it has real limits. Telegram does not confirm the outcome of most reports to the person who filed them, so you typically will not learn whether or how the account was actioned. Because creating a new Telegram account or bot is fast and largely free, an operator can reappear under a new username shortly after being removed.

An in-app report also does not recover money that has already been sent, does not identify the person behind the account to you, and is not a substitute for reporting the financial loss to your bank, payment provider or the relevant authorities.

If you lost money or shared sensitive credentials, file a report with your local police, and, depending on your country, a dedicated fraud-reporting body. In the United States this is the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3); in the United Kingdom it is Action Fraud. Many other countries have similar national cybercrime or consumer-fraud reporting channels.

When you file, include everything gathered above: usernames, numeric IDs, invite links, timestamped screenshots, forwarded-message attributions, and payment or wallet details. If cryptocurrency was involved, also notify the exchange that received the funds, since some exchanges can flag or freeze an account tied to reported fraud while it is under review, though this is not guaranteed and outcomes vary by exchange and jurisdiction.

If you were pressured with the threat of exposing private messages or images, this may overlap with broader tactics discussed in our guide to what phishing is and what vishing is, since scammers often move a target from Telegram to a phone call or a fake website to add pressure.

Fraudpol accepts reports that include social profile and messenger identifiers, such as a Telegram username, numeric user ID, invite link, phone number associated with the account, or linked wallet and payment details. Each submission is reviewed manually rather than processed automatically, since context matters: the same username pattern can belong to a legitimate community manager in one case and an impersonator in another.

Fraudpol does not recover money, never charges a fee to recover funds, and never contacts victims unsolicited asking for payment. Fraudpol is not a government agency or law enforcement body; when a case is substantiated, it is referred to the competent authorities for further action. Filing with Fraudpol does not replace a report to your bank, exchange, or the police, and it does not come with a promised timeline or a guarantee that any account will be banned or any individual will be arrested.

If you believe a specific individual or group is operating a Telegram-based scam, you can report a scammer. If the scam involved cryptocurrency payments, see our guide on how to report a crypto scammer. If it involved a romantic relationship built before the financial request, read how to report a romance scammer. For a broader first-response checklist, see what to do if you've been scammed, and be alert to recovery scams that target people who have already lost money by promising to get it back for an upfront fee.

Last checked: September 2026.

• Telegram FAQ: reporting spam, scam and abusive content
• IC3.gov complaint form (FBI)
• Action Fraud: how to report fraud and cyber crime