Earlier this week, Pavel Durov announced on his Telegram channel that scammers are extorting messenger users by demanding rare gifts, virtual numbers, and usernames.
According to Durov, some gifts, numbers, and usernames were once purchased for just a few dollars, but can now be sold for over $100,000, which has attracted the attention of scammers.
“We are encountering situations where scammers are extorting users, forcing them to hand over these valuable collectible items. There are also reports of channels demanding money under the threat of leaking personal or confidential data. Some have even turned this into a business model—posting dangerous content and then charging for its removal,” said the founder of Telegram, calling these activities “illegal and immoral.”
In his message, Durov asks all users who have faced threats and extortion to send him personal messages “with the maximum possible amount of evidence.”
“We will remove these malicious actors from our platform and make Telegram a safe place for everyone,” assures Durov.
However, shortly after the first message, the founder of the messenger posted a second one with a small clarification. The fact is that sending a message to Durov is only possible for a fee, costing 5000 stars (Telegram’s internal currency), which is approximately 100 dollars.
Therefore, the second message clarified that attempts at blackmail and threats can also be reported free of charge—through Telegram’s support service (@notoscam) by using the hashtag #blackmail.