Telegram is a popular messaging app used worldwide.
It helps connect with friends and join groups to run businesses. But, despite its popularity, the rise of fake Telegram accounts has also come to light.
The fake Telegram account is often created for nasty purposes like conducting cyberattacks, spreading fake news, spamming or even scamming.
So, it is important to identify a fake Telegram account to protect your privacy and stay safe online.
But spotting a fake account can be challenging as the spammers follow various tricks to make their Telegram account look real.
Luckily, there are ways that help to recognize whether the account is real or fake. Here in this guide, you will get to know how to identify a fake Telegram account and how to deal with them.
What is a Fake Telegram Account?
A fake Telegram account is an account that’s been created under a false identity with the intention of keeping things private.
Generally, these accounts are operated to carry out malicious acts and harassing.
But sometimes, these are created for spying and following others without revealing their true identity.
Creating a fake account on Telegram is against its terms of service and has serious consequences like identity theft, legal action or account suspension.
How to Identify a Fake Telegram Account?
To stay safe on Telegram, it is important to spot fake accounts and avoid following or accepting their request to follow you.
There are ways to identify fake Telegram accounts. Let’s have a look.
1. Check the Profile Pic
The first step is to examine the account profile picture. Generally, the fake account uses stolen, stock or generic photos. Some Telegram accounts have a blank just the default profile picture.
If you find something off about the profile picture, then use the Google image search tool to search the picture to check if it appears somewhere else on other social media platforms.
2. Verify Username & Display Name
Now just kike the profile picture display and username also help you to identify something is off about the account.
If the username contains strings of numbers or letters or impersonates a famous public figure or celebrity can simply be a sign of a fake Telegram account.
Also, check if the display name and username don’t match. Then, you need to be cautious as it may spread spam.
3. Check Bio Section & Contact Info
The fake account uses the bio section differently by filling the bio part with promotional, ambiguous or suspicious links.
Some might claim to be a representative of an official organization.
Next, the phone number on the Telegram account might be new, or they have set a username to hide their contact number.
You can’t see the phone number of the Telegram users unless you have it, so you need to be careful as the Telegram account might be fake or malicious.
4. Joining Date & Engagement
Generally, the fake telegram account has the most recent join date and can be a new account. You can also see very little or no interaction, even if the account has been created for a long time.
They will also share no information about themselves. So, be cautious if you see no activity or interaction with other users, like sharing or liking the posts.
You need to be suspicious about the activities and their engagement.
5. Check the Messages Nature
The fake Telegram account holder sends malicious messages that contain malicious links or request personal details.
You can also check for the language and the grammar of the messages you receive.
Also, they are interested in adding you to other groups and channels and will constantly send you messages and links to join channels.
These types of accounts are created for promotions and might be spamming the users by sending malicious links to steal your data.
6. Examine other Followers and Group Members
Another aspect that helps you to recognize fake Telegram accounts is the group or account channel members.
The fake account has an unrelated group and joins random guys to increase their number of members.
If the account privileges represent the specific brand or organization, check if it is a member of the associated group or organization.
7. Check the Mutual Contacts
You can also check if the particular account has any of your mutual contacts added, then you can investigate the person behind the account and its information.
But if there are no mutual contacts or the mutual person does not have any information regarding the account, this indicates something is fishy and it can be a fake account.
Well, the fake account can be disguised cleverly, so it is crucial to be watchful and careful while interacting with the unknown account user on Telegram.
Avoid sharing personal information, trust your intuition and follow the below-listed procedures to deal with the fake account and minimize the risk.
How to Deal with Fake Accounts on Telegram?
To protect the online security and privacy, it is important to deal with the fake Telegram accounts.
So, here are the steps to deal with the fake account on Telegram efficiently.
1. Enable Two-Factor Authentication
On your Telegram, as well as other accounts, enabling the 2-factor authentication will add an extra layer of security and prevent unauthorized access.
So, if you are using a Telegram account, then enabling this feature is recommended.
2. Tweak Privacy Settings
To deal with the telegram fake accounts, it is crucial to adjust your privacy settings.
You have to change your online status to who can contact you.
You can also limit the message request to “Nobody” or “Contacts” in your Telegram account privacy settings.
3. Delete & Block
Telegram offers an option to restrict fake or unwanted accounts from connecting with you by blocking them.
Once you find the account is fake and sending unsolicited messages, delete and block them, preventing them from contacting further.
4. Play Safe & Stay Informed
The fake account holder tries gaining your personal information
You need to be cautious and avoid sharing any personal details like contact number, location, financial details etc., with random or unknown accounts.
Despite this, keep yourself updated with the latest Telegram official announcements and install the security updates to improve its security and stay safe.
5. Report Fake Accounts
If you spot fake or suspicious accounts, then you can report it.
Telegram includes this feature to report suspicious accounts. They will investigate and take valid action against the account.
To report the fake telegram account, follow the steps given:
- First, go to the account and open the profile, then copy the username.
- Now open your mail account and compose an email to abuse@telegram.org, mention the fake account username and why you doubt it is a fake account.
- In the message body, attach the message screenshot of the profile and send the mail.
Conclusion
Undoubtedly, Telegram makes connecting with people easy and also defends your privacy relatively.
But the fake accounts on Telegram can’t be overlooked.
So, identifying the fake Telegram accounts and dealing with them is essential.
Here you have all the ideas to spot a fake telegram account easily.
But remember, these are not guaranteed signs as the fake accounts try to look legitimate. So be careful when interacting with unknown accounts on Telegram.