{"id":23597,"date":"2024-11-28T02:56:19","date_gmt":"2024-11-28T07:56:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/?p=23597"},"modified":"2025-02-05T15:10:45","modified_gmt":"2025-02-05T11:10:45","slug":"telegram-premium-scam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/telegram-premium-scam\/23597\/","title":{"rendered":"You’ve been sent a “gift” \u2014 a Telegram Premium subscription"},"content":{"rendered":"

We at Kaspersky recently conducted a study<\/a> and found that the average person spends $938 a year on 12 subscriptions. This just confirms that in today\u2019s world, being subscribed to numerous services is just as much a part of everyday life as having your smartphone with you at all times.<\/p>\n

There are subscriptions for everything: music, movies, fitness, security solutions<\/a>,<\/strong> and even messaging apps. In this article, we\u2019ll focus on one of the latter \u2014 Telegram Premium, a subscription that doubles almost all the messenger\u2019s free-version\u2019s limits. And the coolest thing about it is that you can give it to your friends as a present. If you have a large contact list, Telegram frequently reminds you of this possibility. Of course, scammers are exploiting this feature, sending out fake Telegram Premium gift subscriptions left and right.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve already accepted such a fake offer and suffered the consequences, urgently read this: What to do if your Telegram account is hacked<\/strong><\/a>. Otherwise, proceed with this article to learn what\u2019s behind these gift promises from cybercriminals, and how you can protect your Telegram account.<\/p>\n

How the Telegram gift-subscription scam works<\/h2>\n

It all starts with an innocent-looking Telegram message from someone in your contact list (actually \u2014 an impostor): \u201cYou\u2019ve been sent a gift\u00a0\u2014 a Telegram Premium subscription\u201d. Beneath it is a link that, at first glance, seems legitimate. And indeed, it leads to an official-looking Telegram Premium channel. But there\u2019s a catch\u2026<\/p>\n

\"Admit<\/a>

Admit it, receiving a message like this feels great, and in a moment of excitement, it\u2019s easy not to cotton on to the trap<\/p><\/div>\n

The text you see \u2014 https:\/\/t.me\/premium<\/a> \u2014 actually hides a link to a completely different phishing page. It\u2019s a simple trick. Consider this example: here\u2019s a link to the Kaspersky Daily blog homepage\u00a0\u2014 https:\/\/kaspersky.com\/blog<\/a>, but it actually redirects to the homepage of our other blog, Securelist. Scammers use the same principle: they mask their phishing links with seemingly legitimate addresses.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s return to the Telegram gift-subscriptions scam. The phishing page looks like a regular Telegram login page in a browser. However, the scam is betrayed by the dodgy URL: the address starts with the familiar https:\/\/t.me, but then has something extra, which wouldn\u2019t be there if were a legitimate page:<\/p>\n

\"Nice<\/a>

Nice try, scammers\u00a0\u2014 it looks almost identical to the real site<\/p><\/div>\n

If you enter your account details here, consider them stolen. Your user name, password, and possibly your two-factor authentication code will end up in bad guys\u2019 hands. Once you\u2019ve handed over your credentials, the scammers display a congratulatory message and start a 24-hour timer, claiming it\u2019s the activation period for Telegram Premium. This delay is a classic cybercriminal tactic. They\u2019re counting on the user either forgetting about the subscription or believing it\u2019s genuinely on its way. But the only thing that\u2019s likely to happen during these 24\u00a0hours is your permanently losing access to your account.<\/p>\n

This is due to Telegram\u2019s built-in protection against account theft: for 24\u00a0hours after logging in on a new device, Telegram doesn\u2019t allow that device to log out of other active sessions. However, exactly 24\u00a0hours later, while you\u2019re waiting for the promised gift to activate, the scammers will kick you out on all your devices \u2014 ending all your Telegram sessions and keeping sole access to your account for themselves. If you haven\u2019t set up two-step verification for Telegram in advance, you won\u2019t be able to log back in. Find out what to do in this case in our step-by-step guide to recovering a hijacked Telegram account<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"After<\/a>

After 24 hours, the timer ends, but the subscription never materializes<\/p><\/div>\n

How else do scammers exploit gift Telegram subscriptions?<\/h2>\n

Since Telegram Premium launched several years ago, various scam scenarios have emerged. Unsurprisingly, these scams bear similarities to other primitive forms of fraud we frequently discuss on the Kaspersky Daily blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For example, cybercriminals might claim to host a free raffle for a three-month Telegram Premium subscription. However, there\u2019s no real drawing of the winning \u201ctickets\u201d\u00a0\u2014 everyone\u2019s a winner; however, the prize isn\u2019t a genuine gift subscription. Victims are directed to click a link and log in to Telegram on a phishing site. And that\u2019s where their accounts get compromised.<\/p>\n

\"Cybercriminals<\/a>

Cybercriminals play to your ego with false claims like: \u201cYou\u2019ve been selected as one of seven participants in our exclusive prize draw!\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n

Another common tactic involves distributing APK files for supposedly \u201chacked\u201d Telegram apps bundled with Premium subscriptions. Needless to say, such modified apps are often nothing more than malware in disguise.<\/p>\n

\"Always<\/a>

Always be skeptical of allegedly hacked or alternative versions of popular apps<\/p><\/div>\n

Now, you\u2019ll have noticed that the screenshots above are in various languages. The fact is that these scammers operate all over the world, and if this scheme hasn\u2019t reached your region yet, rest assured it surely soon will. Therefore, you should ensure the security of your devices and accounts with reliable protection<\/a>.<\/p>\n

How to protect your Telegram account<\/h2>\n

To start, we recommend setting up your Telegram security and privacy using our guide<\/a>. If you\u2019ve already done this, here are some additional tips to help you avoid becoming a victim of these and other scams:<\/p>\n