Yet another TelegramXfragment scammer!

[joniboini]

I don't know how the app do this but I have seen my old contact appeared and most of them are not the people that I knew exactly, it's either the accounts are hack or that number are now allocated to new identity, that happens most often here.

Yeah, that's common since operators will recycle numbers if they're out of service for various reasons. It should be expected since most apps scan your contacts, and they'll just notify you if a known number has an account or not. It's not limited to Telegram afaik. Which is why it's such a pain if someone changes number regularly.

Once I see them, I don't even check their replies, if they need me they will call me and not chat me on telegram.

Personally, it'll feel weirder if they just start spamming calls on your number, in my country at least. The number of spam calls are numerous (of course SMS too, but you can block them easily now).

[DYING_S0UL]

I don't know how the app do this but I have seen my old contact appeared and most of them are not the people that I knew exactly, it's either the accounts are hack or that number are now allocated to new identity, that happens most often here.

Yeah, that's common since operators will recycle numbers if they're out of service for various reasons. It should be expected since most apps scan your contacts, and they'll just notify you if a known number has an account or not. It's not limited to Telegram afaik. Which is why it's such a pain if someone changes number regularly.

Telegram isn't as anonymous or private as it seems. Hackers can still extract your phone number, even though you have checked all the privacy options and made sure everything is on "only me". But all these are worthless, as they only need your username or UID. As for recycling numbers, people can delete their account, wait 7 days, and again and again use the same number. That's why/how these scammers delete their accounts and come back again.

If you are really concerned about your privacy, you shouldn't use telegram. If you must, then use a number that can't be traced back to you or a disposable one.

See the ss below? The guy only took the username, and gave me all the details related to the account (including number that was used to register). And the worst part was, he isn't even a hacker, nor was it a paid job. He was someone with technical knowledge and extracted the info within minutes. I don't know how they do it, but they can..

[DYING_S0UL]

Bumping the topic, as some users showed interests and because these things (scam method) are still in use. 

[JiiBs]

Always have doubts when it's coming from telegram or discord, and also do remember firmly "if it's too good to be true, it might be a scam". Getting offers like $5000-15000 for a mere username falls into that category.

As for how they found their target it's simple. It's not through me, but through several crypto related groups (airdrop/bounty update, crypto news, projects etc), where the member list is public. My guess is they make a list from there and start messaging their victims.

Yeah I agree, people should know better, but as you can see, they keep using the same old trick even though it's 2026, meaning people didn't know better, this method is still effective, that there are still many victims.

Well, people can’t always escape this, no matter how aware you might be. At times, you would always find Poole that might just want to try it you know, not having to think much of the amount they are putting in but, that’s what actually bates you. Once you are in one step, you would just want to try a second and see what becomes of it and that’s you being scammed already. You know it but still wanted to try.

$5000-15,000 for a mere username is just outrageous and it alway makes me wonder if, there are no poor persons within their circle or those of any relations they’ve got that would have need for this money. It’s always safe to not engage.

[pawanjain]

First they will message you saying they are interested in buying your username. Then they might send you a video of the buy sell process, to convince you into selling the username. In the videos you'll see a lot of money being sent and received for usernames. Then they'll make you an offer through fragment (fragment is a real site where you can buy sell your username). In that offer you'll see an accept button. Upon clicking that you'll be redirected to a fake phishing fragment site or a bot or a malicious site!

What happens next..you might have guessed already!

I have my username on fragment too but I have never been approached by anyone yet.
In fact, I have been waiting for someone to approach me so that I can sell my username to him.
Fortunately enough, I found this post right on time because I have never known about this scam.
Good that you posted it here for people's awareness.

[DYING_S0UL]

Well, people can’t always escape this, no matter how aware you might be. At times, you would always find Poole that might just want to try it you know, not having to think much of the amount they are putting in but, that’s what actually bates you. Once you are in one step, you would just want to try a second and see what becomes of it and that’s you being scammed already. You know it but still wanted to try.

$5000-15,000 for a mere username is just outrageous and it alway makes me wonder if, there are no poor persons within their circle or those of any relations they’ve got that would have need for this money. It’s always safe to not engage.

Yes they can't, and that's why these methods are still in play. And as long as there is one single victim, they will continue to do so.

The amount surely is outrages, for a username that holds no significant meaning or figure. But if it were like, @Elon Musk or @SpaceX or like @Apple, then they might be worth that. In my case it wasn't.

Always doubt, & remember if it's too good to be true then there is a high chance it's a scam.

I have my username on fragment too but I have never been approached by anyone yet.
In fact, I have been waiting for someone to approach me so that I can sell my username to him.
Fortunately enough, I found this post right on time because I have never known about this scam.
Good that you posted it here for people's awareness.

Afaik, in fragment, the whole thing is automated, you don't need to contact with the buyer nor the seller. You just put up with username for sale (with the value you want), and the other person buys it directly from the platform through bidding.

Now as for the approching, it usually happens on Telegram. These scammers looking (pretending) sharp and polite, approches you, finding your account via crypto groups you have joined. And then making up a story about that they need it for their branding and god knows what stuff, offering you a lucrative amount, showing you ss or videos of previous deals, and then finally sending you that shady bot link. [don't click it ever, even out of curisity]

[Franklyn-wood]

If we are going to keep talking about someone trying to purchase username on telegram and trying to pay with TON this forum will be filled already because there are many scammers that use this trick on telegram users, funny enough few people said they got paid but after some deeper research I found out that those people who said they got paid are actually scammers themselves, they are giving false information to mislead people into thinking that it actually works to sell off their username.

Telegram is not a safe place for newbies anymore, anyone who is new to the internet and crypto will easily fall prey for such trick and I bet that many people have already got scammed with this Username and TON bullshit.

I also almost fall victim of this same thing as someone sent me a message in my DM asking me to sell my user name to him, I thought over it for sometime and kept imaginingselling my user to some and the possible negative results on me it may cause in the furture. Most people are enticed by the money they are offered for selling it.

[ImGenius]

About two years ago I almost fall for this scam.. the same way scammer contract and give offer to OP. First of all i thought my username was really that pricey that's I agree to sell it but when they mentioned 5% fee I became alert. I also know that fragment never ask 5% first for the transection. that's why when they give fragment link I directly didn't click it instead i copy it then paste in a browser it shows exact url like official fragments but browser didn't show fragment logo when i cut off the extra urls part but when i manually write the url it shows logo that's how I confirm it as scam, And block them immediately

[Hamza2424]

See the ss below? The guy only took the username, and gave me all the details related to the account (including number that was used to register). And the worst part was, he isn't even a hacker, nor was it a paid job. He was someone with technical knowledge and extracted the info within minutes. I don't know how they do it, but they can..

This is giving me goosebumps because if someone on Telegram, like these professional scammers, knows what my number is, then they are going to contact me. They could even spoof calls me. Anyway, I usually use a specific number for Telegram that I hardly use anywhere else.

But now that I know this, I think I have to be more careful, because if they can extract our number, then that can be harmful for us.

I also checked how they could get this information. Well, getting ID is easy using Telegram's given APIs, so if they know my username, they can get my user ID. They might compare that ID with leaked data they already possess and extract that information.

In the start, if we joined every single bot in the hope of making money, then those bots might have our necessary information.

[DYING_S0UL]

This is giving me goosebumps because if someone on Telegram, like these professional scammers, knows what my number is, then they are going to contact me. They could even spoof calls me. Anyway, I usually use a specific number for Telegram that I hardly use anywhere else.

But now that I know this, I think I have to be more careful, because if they can extract our number, then that can be harmful for us.

I also checked how they could get this information. Well, getting ID is easy using Telegram's given APIs, so if they know my username, they can get my user ID. They might compare that ID with leaked data they already possess and extract that information.

In the start, if we joined every single bot in the hope of making money, then those bots might have our necessary information.

Yup that would be the safest route, we wouldn't wanna use our personal number for creating any TG accounts.

Apparently they can (as you can see from the ss).

As for how they find it, I don't know the full detail. But they way they did, it looked quite easy. Your assumption on the leaked database is probably right. I had asked that guy for a couple of more info on some other user ID's but he said he can't, as they weren't uploaded into some database yet..(can't remember the exact convo).

About two years ago I almost fall for this scam.. the same way scammer contract and give offer to OP. First of all i thought my username was really that pricey that's I agree to sell it but when they mentioned 5% fee I became alert. I also know that fragment never ask 5% first for the transection.... snip....

LOL, you got alerted because of 5% fee but not the ridiculous amount they offer for the actual username? Ha ha, that's a first time.

[Rgram]

What happened?

A few days ago someone approched me stating they were working for web3 projects and collecting usernames for branding and bot integration. Then they offered me 5500 TON ($8,580) for my username, which was already absurd enough, because my username held no significant meaning and was a complete random one.

I haven’t heard of this one but, I surely would be suspicious based on the amount. I mean, what speciality can there be with just a username to be worth over $8k! That’s something just wouldn’t understand, especially when you aren’t selling a channel or handle that you’ve built over the years to be worth a lot more. It doesn’t seem like something I would go for and would have avoided it all the same, knowing that telegram is the home of scams and these scammers gets creative everyday. Nice one having to share this, I stand notified and warned!

[Hamza2424]

Yup that would be the safest route, we wouldn't wanna use our personal number for creating any TG accounts.

Apparently they can (as you can see from the ss).

As for how they find it, I don't know the full detail. But they way they did, it looked quite easy. Your assumption on the leaked database is probably right. I had asked that guy for a couple of more info on some other user ID's but he said he can't, as they weren't uploaded into some database yet..(can't remember the exact convo).

If he mentioned this, then my assumption is right, there might be some old data leaks, via some third party tool, and that data must be sitting in your friend's computer. He just has to cross check the ID he is getting after knowing the username and comparing it with the ones he has in the db he has.

I do not know where he could have got his hands on such information but I am sure he is into something either due to his curiosity or maybe he is just a white hat hacker haha I am not going to call him black hat hacker for now.

Anyway, we have to stay careful while using our tg and we have to use separate one every single time, for specific reasons like for joining bots, use one and for chatting and grouping use another one.

[Outhue]

We talked about this in 2024/2025 because that was when this scam was very popular, it's always you getting paid in TON for your username, they will make the mere username that you created for yourself sound like a Gold in your ear, I was able to catch them at the very early of the stage, because tell me why you can only pay in TON and nothing else.

If someone found my username to be very unique enough that they will want to buy it, they are the ones to ask me to choose the currency I want to receive, not them ordering me around to download TON wallet by force, there are moves that people will make and you will see through them in an instant.