Telegram CEO and founder Pavel Durov says starting this week, the messaging platform is cracking down on scammers after receiving hundreds of user reports of attempted blackmail and doxxing.
The tech billionaire said he became aware of the extortion attempts after receiving complaints from users about scammers trying to blackmail them into handing over high-value Telegram NFTs and other digital collectibles sold on the platform.
“Rare Telegram gifts, numbers, and usernames – once bought for just a few dollars – can now sell for over $100,000. But this surge in value has a dark side,” Durov told his 10.7 million followers on July 21st.
“We’re seeing scammers blackmail users, trying to force them into handing over these valuable collectibles. There are also reports of channels extorting money by threatening to leak personal information or sensitive data.”
Telegram collectibles have become big business for the platform. For example, last month the app offered up Snoop Dogg-inspired NFTs that “sold out in just 30 minutes, generating $12M in sales.”
In celebration of the US July 4th holiday, Telegram offered up a plethora of Independance Day gifts, which also sold out in record time – all for around $100 a pop.
The lot was said to include 15,000 Crystal Eagles, sold out in less than 45 seconds; 300,000 Statues of Liberty, sold out in under five minutes, and 500,000 Liberty Torches gone in 10 minutes.
"Illegal and immoral"
In some cases, Durov explained that the scammers were turning the extortion into a business model by “publishing damaging posts and charging for their removal.”
Some bad actors have also been caught selling victims so-called “protection blocks,” which are essentially a ransom demand paid to the blackmailer to avoid being targeted.
Calling it "illegal and immoral," Durov asked users to report such instances directly by sending him proof of any blackmail attempts in a private message via his personal Telegram channel.
Now, after hundreds of complaints and 20 days later, Durov announced that starting this week, Telegram will be banning numerous channels for engaging in doxxing and extortion.
If a channel is banned, it means Telegram has ”undeniable evidence” that a channel’s administrator has “published defamatory posts and then deleted them in exchange for payment from victims.”
“Telegram is not a place for doxxing or blackmail. And to those running such channels: don’t waste your time creating clones — we’ll find you,” Durov said.
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