Telegram Scam Alert!

There are different types of scams on Telegram, so it is difficult to pinpoint one specific "new Telegram task scam." However, here is one example of a common scam:

In this scam, scammers create fake Telegram groups that promise to pay users for completing simple tasks, such as joining the group, liking and sharing posts, and inviting friends to join. These groups may appear to be legitimate, with a large number of members and active discussions.

To participate in the task, users are required to provide their Telegram username and invite code, as well as other personal information such as their email address or phone number. Once users provide this information, scammers can use it to carry out other scams or sell it to third-party marketers.

Additionally, scammers may require users to pay a small fee or deposit before they can participate in the task. Once the fee is paid, users may never receive the promised payment or rewards.

To avoid falling victim to this type of scam, it is important to be cautious when joining Telegram groups and sharing personal information. Always research the group and the people behind it before participating in any task or providing personal information.

My own experience 

So, this one is being called as “Telegram Prepaid Scam” or I would like to call it as “Telegram Task Scam”

This is how it works:

Day 1:

You will get a text message in Whatsapp from some foreign number asking if you are interested to earn money through part-time job. Most of the people will figure out this to be a scam and block, but I wanted to know what this is and I continued the conversation. I asked the person what is the job and how do I get paid. She gave me 3 tasks, first two to subscribe 2 Youtube channels which I did and the third to download Telegram and send “hi” to an ID (referred as Receptionist).which she gives. That’s it.

To my surprise I was credited with Rs.150 to my Bank Account. REAL MONEY

Day 2:

The receptionist added me to a group in telegram and the tasks starts from morning 10 am. There were 30+ people like me to perform tasks. We were given a list of tasks to perform and we get money for every 3 tasks. 

The task was very simple, like the Youtube videos which they send and send them the screenshot of it. For every 3 task I was given money.

Task 1-3 : Rs.150

Task 4-6 : Rs.180

Yessss… You will be getting real money in your bank account 150+180 = Rs.330.

The task goes on and everybody in the group gets money, sends screenshot of the money being received and all are happy.

The twist comes in at task 9, where they will ask you to put in Rs.1000 and in return they will send you Rs.1200 which is 20% profit, also the promised amount of Rs.240 for Task 7-9. I got alert and started to send private message to the group members that this is a scam and to save their money. To my surprise, I was removed from the group (I guess the few members of the group who I assumed to be like me were scammers themselves). My part in the scam was OVER.

Gain : 150+150+180 = Rs.480 ; Loss : 0

What happens next? What happens to others?

All this while, they have been building trust with the victims by giving them money. Trust me, they send you money within minutes and this can increase your trust so much. Even after learning about the scam, I was tempted think like “why can’t these guys be genuine”.

The people who decided to put in the money will get back +20% for the first time. This is for the 9th task. So, if you give 1000, you get 1200, for 5000 you get 6000.

The real game starts at Task 12 (Screenshot attached #4) where you will be asked to invest a minimum of Rs.3000 for a 25% profit.

Once they get the money from victims, they show them the profit with a website but won’t allow them to withdraw. The scammers ask more money for withdrawing money in the name of tax and charges. The poor victims in the hope to get the money back invest more and more and end up with nothing.

I learnt this from research that these scammers use pump and dump strategy on illiquid crypto currencies and make big money. The scammers are the initial investors of the crypto and the victims money are used to pump up the price. They sell it on high price, making huge profit, while the victims end up losing all their money.