I’ve finally lost my virginity. And maybe many will say, “It was about time!” I had been scam-free for over 40 years, but everything happens eventually. My first time was on Telegram, and it happened just last week.
I got scammed out of $70 for a so-called Reddit traffic service that never arrived. Sensing something might be off, I played it safe and insisted on testing with just one account instead of the three the “provider” originally pushed for.
The Modus Operandi
This industry is the Wild West—full of opportunities and outlaws. And that’s exactly how it should be. This is the perfect time to stand out and grow by seizing those opportunities. Once an industry settles and becomes institutionalized, it means the prime spots have already been claimed, and real (life changing) opportunities for new entrepreneurs become scarce. It’s what W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne call a “blue ocean” (as opposed to the cutthroat “red ocean”).
Telegram, in particular, is as wild as it gets—and that works to our advantage. Imagine if every Telegram (or Instagram, TikTok, or any other platform) account had to be tied to a government-issued ID to bring “order and control.” We’d have to say goodbye to methods like M/S and countless other strategies that thrive thanks to the semi-anonymity of the web. Look what is happening in Australia:
As I was saying, this scam happened to me on Telegram. And while it wasn’t exactly a pleasant experience, it gave me a front-row seat to the scammer’s modus operandi—so now, I can share exactly how they operate.
As always, they lurk in large, high-traffic Telegram groups, waiting for the perfect target. The moment a newbie shows up looking for a service, they slide into the DMs. Their pitch is crafted to be just enticing enough to spark interest but still “normal” enough to blend in with legitimate offers from those who are actually there to do business—not scam.
They might claim to provide Reddit traffic or leads from dating apps. To make their offer even more tempting, they propose working on commission—no upfront payment required. Sounds great, right? But there’s a catch. They’ll insist that you provide the accounts and, conveniently, recommend a trusted “seller” within Telegram.
Here’s where the trap springs shut. You follow their advice and purchase, say, three aged Reddit accounts for $200 from their suggested contact. The moment you complete the transaction, both the account seller and the supposed traffic provider vanish into thin air. They block you, discard the Telegram account, and move on to their next victim. Good luck getting your money back.
How to Tell If You’ve Been Blocked on Telegram
If you’re still holding on to a shred of hope, wondering whether you’ve been scammed, there’s a simple way to confirm it: check if you’ve been blocked.
Telegram doesn’t send notifications when someone blocks you, but there are a few telltale signs. If their profile picture disappears, your messages remain stuck on a single checkmark, and their last seen status vanishes, chances are, they’ve cut you off.
So, if you’re unsure whether you’ve been ghosted or outright scammed, this little check will give you a definitive answer.
Conclusion: Lessons Learned and Moving Forward
That’s life—sometimes you win, and sometimes you learn. Fortunately, this lesson only cost me a few dollars and a bit of disappointment.
The key takeaway? There are no real shortcuts. It’s essential to fully understand the method you’re investing in and thoroughly vet any potential providers before trusting them.
But setbacks are just stepping stones on the path to success. The journey continues, and this is just another rung on the ladder to the top. No turning back, no giving up—onward and upward!
