Guides
Guides for people who run Telegram groups.
Practical answers, checked against how Telegram works today. Each guide says when it was last reviewed and what changed.
Stopping spam
-
Telegram raid protection: what to do when a wave of accounts joins
What a Telegram raid is, which built-in settings slow it down, a minute-by-minute plan for admins, what a bot should do, and how to clean up afterwards.
-
How to remove spam bots from a Telegram group that is already full of them
A cleanup order for a Telegram group already full of spam accounts: close the door, read Recent Actions, ban in batches, delete the spam, then lock it down.
-
How to stop spam bots in a Telegram group
Six Telegram settings that cut spam bots today, where those settings stop working, and what an anti-spam bot has to do to cover the rest.
-
Telegram's built-in anti-spam tools: what each setting does and does not stop
What Telegram's Aggressive Anti-Spam, slow mode, member permissions and join approval each do, who can use them, and what gets past each one.
-
Lookalike characters in Telegram spam, and how to catch them
How Telegram spammers swap letters for lookalike characters in messages and names, why word lists miss them, how to spot them, and what a bot must do.
-
Telegram CAPTCHA bots: how they work and what gets past them
How Telegram CAPTCHA bots work, which spam a join challenge stops, what gets past it, and how to tell a real check from a fake verification bot.
-
Spam in Telegram channel comments, and how to stop it
Why spam appears under Telegram channel posts within seconds, which settings on the discussion group stop it, and how to clean up the comments.
Impersonation and scams
-
Telegram QR code scams, and scams hidden in pictures
How Telegram QR code scams work: QR login hijacks, scan-to-verify, wallet QR codes and scam text in pictures. What members and group admins should do.
-
Admins will never message you first
For group members: why a private message from an admin is almost always a copy, how to check who is writing, what never to send, and a notice to pin.
-
The Telegram fake admin scam, and how to stop it
How the fake admin scam works on Telegram, how to tell a real admin from a copy, what to do if you replied, and what group owners can do about it.
-
How to protect a Telegram group from scammers
A ten-step checklist for Telegram group owners: lock the door, limit newcomers, hide members, harden admins, audit bots, and screen every message.
-
Telegram airdrop scams and fake giveaways: how they work
How fake airdrop, giveaway and claim scams work in Telegram groups, how to recognise one, what members and admins can do, and what to do after connecting.
-
Fake Safeguard bot on Telegram: the verification scam, explained
The fake Safeguard verification scam on Telegram: how it steals accounts and installs malware, how to tell a real check from a fake one, and what to do.
Choosing a bot
-
Combot alternative: what to look for, and when to keep Combot
What Combot does well, what its plans cost, where its documented anti-spam stops, and how to try a second bot next to it before changing anything.
-
Rose bot alternative: what to look for, and when to keep Rose
What Rose does well, where its documented spam protection stops, and how to try a second bot next to it before you change anything in your group.
-
CAS ban on Telegram: what it means, and what to do about a wrong one
What a CAS ban is, how to check an account, what CAS says about removing a ban, and what a group admin can do when the list is wrong about a member.
Admin handbook
-
Private or public Telegram group: what changes for spam and security
What changes when a Telegram group is public or private: who can find it, who can read it, how spam accounts arrive, which tools you get, and how to switch.
-
How to report spam and impersonation on Telegram
How to report a message, account, group, channel or bot on Telegram, which addresses Telegram lists for scams and impersonation, and what a report does.
-
Telegram join requests: member approval, invite links and Guardian bots
How Telegram join requests, member approval and approval invite links work, where approving by hand stops scaling, and a setup for each group size.
-
Telegram account hacked: what to do in the first ten minutes
What to do when a Telegram account is taken over: end other sessions, turn on two-step verification, warn contacts, and secure any group it was admin of.
-
Telegram admin permissions, explained right by right
What each Telegram admin right allows, which roles need it, which rights a moderation bot needs, which to keep from any bot, and a least-rights table.
Is this group legit?
-
Is this Telegram group legit? How to check before you join
Eight signs that show whether a Telegram group is real or a copy: the handle, the history, the admins, the pinned post, links, urgency and payment asks.