? A fresh wave of scammers has once again become active in Telegram. At risk are channel admins, digital service sellers, freelancers, crypto wallet owners, and basically everyone who accepts cryptocurrency payments. The scheme seems simple, but that’s exactly why it’s dangerous: it targets busy people who are used to acting quickly.
How the new scheme works
Step 1. The scammer makes contact. He writes as a respectable buyer – polite, punctual, often with an avatar and a “real” chat history. He says he is ready to pay right now.
Step 2. A “confirmation” appears. You receive a link or QR code supposedly to activate the payment or confirm receipt of funds. The script is always the same: “the transaction won’t go through without confirmation, that’s how my exchange/wallet/system works.”
In fact, it is a link to a phishing website perfectly styled after well-known services: Trust Wallet, Binance Pay, Coinbase Commerce, etc. Some even imitate the MetaMask interface. On such pages you enter your data without realizing you are giving access to the scammer.
Why this is a scam
There are no “confirmation links” in blockchain.
If the money has been sent – it either arrives in your wallet automatically or the sender has a transaction hash that can be checked in a blockchain explorer.
That’s it. No QR codes, no authorizations, no “receipt confirmations.”
Anything that requires clicking links, entering codes, or authorizing is a direct path to losing your wallet or account.
The “test payment” scheme
Another variant is widespread – a more cunning one. The scammer suggests making a “test transaction” of $1, but… You must create a new empty wallet so that “there’s nothing at risk.”
Sounds logical, right?
This way they gain your trust, and then they send a phishing link for “confirmation”; deliver a malicious file or apk; persuade you to import a seed phrase “to verify the balance”; or simply extract data to get access to your main wallet. Once you relax, they move on to stealing the real wallet.
Important rule number one
Never confirm crypto payments through links or third-party websites.
Check transactions only through the blockchain.
Never give your seed phrases, private keys, or codes to anyone.
If someone asks you to do something unusual for a “successful payment,” you can safely treat it as a red flag.
? What is happening globally
By the way, Telegram itself confirms that a major cleanup is underway. Since the beginning of November 2025, the platform has closed 2.81 million communities. And since the beginning of the year – more than 34.8 million groups and channels. About 207.8 thousand of them Telegram classifies as communities linked to terrorist activity.
In other words, scammers and radical groups are actively using the platform, and the risks are growing.
Protect your wallets, channels, and nerves. As they say: trust – but verify. And preferably only through the blockchain.
All content provided on this website (https://wildinwest.com/) -including attachments, links, or referenced materials — is for informative and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. Third-party materials remain the property of their respective owners.