Telegram has introduced a new feature to help users identify potential scams by displaying summaries of unfamiliar contacts. This move aims to mitigate the common issue of impersonation scams, where fraudsters pose as official Telegram accounts or famous individuals to deceive users.

The Nature of Telegram Scams and New Countermeasures

Scams on Telegram often involve impersonation, where fake accounts claim to be official Telegram representatives asking users to verify or unfreeze their accounts. Once users click on malicious links, scammers gain access to their accounts and proceed to scam their contacts. While completely eradicating these scams is challenging, Telegram’s new feature provides users with additional information to assess the legitimacy of unfamiliar contacts.

Summary Information for Stranger Contacts

When a stranger initiates a conversation on Telegram, users will now see a summary of that contact. This summary includes:

Registration Country/Region: The country or region where the account was registered.

Registration Time: When the account was created.

Common Groups: Any groups the user and the stranger are both part of.

Last Username Change: The date of the last username modification.

Last Profile Picture Change: The date of the last profile picture update.

These details can help users gauge whether a contact might be fraudulent. For instance, if an account claiming to be an official Telegram bot shows a recent username or profile picture change, it could indicate a scam.

Combating Impersonation Scams

The feature also helps mitigate scams where fraudsters impersonate famous individuals by stealing their accounts. If the impersonator recently changed the username or profile picture, this information will be visible, alerting the user to potential fraud.

Using Common Groups for Verification

Users can further verify unfamiliar contacts by checking if they share common groups. If an account uses a friend’s username and profile picture but does not show shared groups, it may indicate a scam.

Limitations and User Awareness

While these summaries provide valuable information, their effectiveness depends on users’ ability to interpret the data correctly. Ultimately, no measure can completely prevent scams if users are overly trusting of any information they receive.