If You Are a Victim of Telegram Crypto Scams—Read This Carefully
1. How Telegram Crypto Scams Work & Common Tactics
Telegram itself is merely a messaging app. The scams exploit anonymity, closed private groups, and bots to deceive victims and induce mistakes.
In practice, perpetrators use false information or exaggerated profit promises to mislead victims into making incorrect decisions and then misappropriate their assets.
They often rush decisions with phrases like “signal room,” “VIP,” “inside information,” “kimchi premium,” “airdrop,” or “high-yield staking,” following a recurring pattern:
deposit inducement (deception) → withdrawal restrictions (retaining proceeds and concealing losses) → requests for additional payments (secondary deception) → disappearance (evidence destruction and flight).
Legally, fraud can already be established at the moment of the initial deposit inducement. Subsequent stages may constitute a continuation of the offense or separate counts of fraud.
Common scam types include:
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Signal-room schemes: Promising “multiple-X returns” or “stop-loss lines,” then charging membership or commission fees.
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Fake exchanges/apps: Luring users via links, showing fake profits, then blocking withdrawals.
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Advance withdrawal fee schemes: Demanding extra transfers for “fees,” “taxes,” or “KYC costs” before withdrawal.
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Wallet connection/signature scams: Inducing wallet connections or signatures under the guise of verification or airdrops to drain assets.
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OTC direct-deal scams: Promising USDT exchange or similar services, taking the transfer, then cutting contact.
2. Telegram Crypto Scam Red Flags
The more of the following that apply, the higher the likelihood of deception:
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Guaranteed principal or profits.
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Pressure to decide quickly and discouragement of external verification.
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Claims that additional deposits are required to withdraw.
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Vague or unverifiable exchange/project information; difficulty confirming official channels.
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Requests to transfer funds to third-party accounts or personal wallet addresses.
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Instructions to delete chats, prohibit screenshots, or otherwise avoid leaving evidence.
3. What to Do Within 24 Hours & How to Secure Evidence
First, stop all additional transfers immediately. Claims like “withdrawal will be released once you pay the fee” often lead to secondary losses.
Preserve evidence: Telegram chats can be auto-deleted or removed by the other party. Immediately save screenshots, screen recordings, and exported chats for group rooms, DMs, announcements, and instructions.
Collect evidence: Counterparty IDs, room links/names, inducement messages, deposit/withdrawal records, TXIDs, wallet addresses, timestamps and amounts, and KRW transfer records (recipient name and account).
Create a timeline: Summarize on a single page “when–who–what was said–where–how much was sent.”
Immediate actions:
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KRW transfers: Contact the relevant financial institution at once to request payment suspension for suspected scam accounts pursuant to the Electronic Financial Transactions Act. Upon report, the institution should promptly suspend payments where scam use is suspected.
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Crypto transfers: As virtual assets are not directly covered by the Act, contact the relevant exchange immediately to request withdrawal blocking under its terms, and file a report with investigative authorities to seek exchange cooperation and on-chain tracing.
Parallel legal steps:
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Criminal complaint: File promptly for fraud (Criminal Act Art. 347) to enable investigation, suspect identification, and asset tracing.
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Civil action: If the perpetrator’s identity and assets can be identified, consider a damages claim (Civil Act Arts. 750, 751) and pre-judgment attachment to prevent asset dissipation.
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Recovery options: Consider compensation orders within criminal proceedings or applications for crime-victim relief funds, where applicable.
4. How Decent Law Firm Can Help
Decent Law Firm structures the facts to identify key deception points and fund flows required for complaints and petitions.
We systematize chat records, transaction histories, and wallet movements into evidentiary packages aligned with investigative tracing and recovery procedures, while assessing the practicality of civil measures such as attachments and damages claims to maximize cost-effectiveness.
Above all, we focus on preventing secondary losses at the most vulnerable stage—additional payment inducements—by providing clear, timely guidance. If you have been affected, we encourage you to seek advice before it’s too late.
