# How not to fall for scammers on Telegram Common tricks with Stars, gifts and Premium, and what to do if you were robbed. https://shiba-bank.com/en/guides/telegram-scams Updated 2026-10-02 · 4 min read Almost every theft on Telegram starts the same way: you're asked to enter or confirm something — a login code, a cloud password, a wallet's recovery phrase, a transfer "for verification". Below are the tricks seen most often around Stars, gifts and Telegram Premium, and what to do if you've already been fooled. ## The main rule Your Telegram login code, your cloud password and your wallet's recovery phrase are for you alone. Telegram, bots, "support" and "drop admins" never ask for them. Whoever asks is a scammer. The Shiba Bank bot never asks for a login code, a cloud password or a recovery phrase either. ## Common tricks - **"Free Stars" and "free Premium".** A bot or site promises Stars, Premium or a gift and asks you to "sign in with Telegram": your phone number and the code from the message. With that code a scammer signs in to your account, transfers your unique gifts to themselves and writes to your friends. Where Stars really come from is in [how to get Stars without buying](https://shiba-bank.com/en/guides/stars-without-buying). - **"Unlock a photo for Stars without paying".** A paid post can't be opened without paying, and such bots hijack accounts or take money — [photos and videos for Stars](https://shiba-bank.com/en/guides/paid-media). - **An "escrow" for a gift deal.** In chats people offer to sell an NFT gift "through an escrow": hand over the gift, the money comes later. The gift goes, the money doesn't. The official deal is only Telegram's marketplace or an offer in the app itself: [how to sell an NFT gift](https://shiba-bank.com/en/guides/sell-nft-gift). - **Fake marketplaces and mini apps.** They ask you to connect a wallet and "confirm" a transaction — in fact you sign a transfer of all your coins. Connect your wallet only to marketplaces whose address you checked. - **"Swap TON for GRAM".** Renaming TON to GRAM required no action at all, and "swappers" and "wallet checks" use it as a pretext to steal coins — [what GRAM is](https://shiba-bank.com/en/guides/gram). - **Fake support.** They write as "Telegram support" and threaten a ban. Telegram doesn't message users privately demanding a code or a payment. - **Fake bots.** They copy the name and avatar of a known bot. Check the @username: the Shiba Bank bot is @barboskich_stars_bot. ## How to protect your account 1. Turn on a cloud password: Settings → Privacy and Security → Two-Step Verification. Then a code from a message isn't enough to sign in. 2. Check your devices: Settings → Devices. End any session you don't recognise. 3. Don't install unofficial clients and plugins from random channels: third-party code gets access to your account. See also: [Telegram password: Two-Step Verification, passcode and account security](https://shiba-bank.com/en/guides/telegram-password). See also: [How to hide your phone number on Telegram](https://shiba-bank.com/en/guides/hide-phone-number). ## What to do if your account was hacked or a gift was stolen - **End other sessions at once:** Settings → Devices → Terminate All Other Sessions. - **Change or turn on your cloud password** and check its recovery email. - **Warn your friends:** someone may have asked them for money in your name. - **Report the scammer** from their profile, with Report. > **Important:** Telegram doesn't return a transferred gift or Stars you sent, and a blockchain transfer can't be reversed. That's why the main thing is not to give access to your account and wallet in the first place. Stars bought in the Shiba Bank bot reach your account through Fragment, and nobody asks you for codes or passwords. [Buy Stars — Open the app](https://t.me/barboskich_stars_bot?startapp=site_ai_en_buy) ## FAQ ### How can I tell a bot is a scam? It asks for your phone number and login code, your cloud password, your recovery phrase or a transfer "for verification". An honest bot needs none of that. ### Can I get a stolen NFT gift back? Telegram doesn't return a transferred gift. Report the scammer and lock them out of your account so they can't take the rest. ### What should I do if I entered a code in a suspicious bot? End all other sessions at once in Settings → Devices and turn on a cloud password. ### Are there free Stars and Premium? People give them away — in drops, cheques and giveaways. Anyone who asks for a login code in exchange for "free" Stars is stealing an account.