Beware of scam attempts on Telegram

Be careful, these messages are scams! Our cooperation partners at Watchlist Internet advise you to break off contact!

Caution! Even on Telegram, no one has money to give away

It sounds like something out of a fairy tale: luck or divine providence brought you together. You don't know the person who is writing to you, but she wants to give you a lot of money. Just like that. Supposedly the person is seriously ill or has a large fortune that they want to share with someone. The person may claim that you were contacted by divine providence and are supposed to invest the money in an orphanage or other social institution.

These messages that readers receive via the messenger app Telegram are attempts at fraud. If you have received such a message, we advise you to break off contact and block the person.

“I have 500,000 euros and would like to donate it”

Tellegram scammers

The stories that are used usually differ slightly. However, what these messages often have in common is that they are supposedly sent by a seriously ill person who has a large sum of money to give away. Here you can see a text example of a fraudulent Telegram message:

Hello ladies and gentlemen
 , sorry, my name is Ewin Hasler in Lausanne (Switzerland), I have been living in France for a long time.

 Sometimes I regret that there is a serious cancer here on earth, throat cancer. Unfortunately, I couldn't see the burn that quickly and it spread through blood. I have an amount of 500,000 euros and would like to donate to an honest and reputable person I trust. I would like to offer this gift to a serious person. I am also a widower for 11 years and after losing my wife I was totally weak and couldn't get married again, she was my only love and without her I am nothing. We didn't have children until my wife died. I would like to donate this amount before I die, here in France the doctors found no medicine, only a sedative. It's important to me to know my heir before death takes me. I don't want to know if you want to use this gift. More information Please contact me.
 Greetings. 

Or this example of a Telegram scam

Hello, my name is Mirena Papineau, I am of French origin. I have a serious illness that condemns me to certain death and I have a sum of €683,000 that I would like to give to a trustworthy and honest person so that I can put it to good use. Please contact me if interested, thank you 

And another example:

Thank you for replying to my message. I am a man who believes in God and is very sincere. That is why I am at your disposal to provide you with this money as an inheritance so that you can use it for your financial problems, also to help orphans and the disabled. All you need to do is contact my lawyer to sign the administrative documents and contact you directly. Contact my bank to deposit the transfer amount into your bank account. Thank God for blessing you. 

How to recognize attempted fraud

Even on the Internet, no one has anything to give away: Always remain suspicious of unusual offers! Do not respond to dubious promises of unusually high profits - even to cancel the “deal” - and delete the messages immediately. Be careful if you write to strangers on social networks (e.g. Facebook, Telegram, WhatsApp) and ask for money payments after a short time. Even if the other person's profile seems legitimate, remember: a fake online profile can be created quickly!

Do not send money or personal documents to people you have never met in person, or perform “favors” (such as money transfers, cashing checks, paying customs, forwarding letters/packages). And of course such scam attempts also happen on other platforms, not just on Telegram. The pattern is always similar.

Have you been contacted on Telegram?

This is what you have to do now:

Have you received a suspicious message from an unknown person? Delete the messages and block the contact who promises you money. If you haven't transferred any money or personal information yet, there's no need to worry. Have you disclosed personal information? The criminals may use your personal information to defraud other people. File a police report. If you have submitted copies of your ID card, it may make sense to apply for a new ID card. If you have shared account information or passwords, change the passwords to your online accounts as quickly as possible.

Did you pay money? File a police report. Here you can find out how you can file a report. Also contact your bank or the payment service provider you used for the transfer. The payment may still be stopped.

Advice & help

For specific advice requests, please contact the relevant offices that we have listed for you HERE

Source:

Beware of scam attempts on Telegram

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