Редакція dev.uaздолай шахрая
25 August 2026, 15:33
2026-08-25
Ukrainians are being massively deprived of Telegram accounts: analysis of a real case and the main traps of scammers
It all started in February 2025 in the small town of Brody in the Lviv region. An employee of a local company decided to check his Telegram account during his regular workday. But instead of the usual chats, the app greeted him with a blank login screen. A sudden logout occurred from all devices at once.
An attempt to re-enter the login and password failed — someone had already locked the virtual door from the inside. A couple of minutes later, a colleague came into the office: “What are you, borrowing money? I just received a request from you to transfer 5,000 hryvnias.” Then a call came from another acquaintance, who had already been sent the card number for the transfer, and a friend wrote on Facebook with a screenshot of a request for 7,500 hryvnias.
This story (which later turned into a criminal case in the Brody District Court) ended relatively well: the man quickly called his friends, and no one lost money. However, this is a classic case of how, in a few seconds of inattention, a work messenger turns into a weapon in the hands of IT fraudsters.
Together with the Ukrainian Interbank Association of Payment System Members " EMA " , the dev.ua editorial team continues to talk about the most popular fraudulent schemes on the Internet. And the trap of hacking a TG account, unfortunately, happens often. So what to do?
It all started in February 2025 in the small town of Brody in the Lviv region. An employee of a local company decided to check his Telegram account during his regular workday. But instead of the usual chats, the app greeted him with a blank login screen. A sudden logout occurred from all devices at once.
An attempt to re-enter the login and password failed — someone had already locked the virtual door from the inside. A couple of minutes later, a colleague came into the office: “What are you, borrowing money? I just received a request from you to transfer 5,000 hryvnias.” Then a call came from another acquaintance, who had already been sent the card number for the transfer, and a friend wrote on Facebook with a screenshot of a request for 7,500 hryvnias.
This story (which later turned into a criminal case in the Brody District Court) ended relatively well: the man quickly called his friends, and no one lost money. However, this is a classic case of how, in a few seconds of inattention, a work messenger turns into a weapon in the hands of IT fraudsters.
Together with the Ukrainian Interbank Association of Payment System Members " EMA " , the dev.ua editorial team continues to talk about the most popular fraudulent schemes on the Internet. And the trap of hacking a TG account, unfortunately, happens often. So what to do?
Why do they (scammers) need your account?
Telegram has long ceased to be just a place for stickers and news. Today it is a document archive, a work tool, and a digital wallet. When hackers steal your profile, they solve one of five tasks:
Quick cash. Mass mailing to contacts with a request to urgently borrow 5–10 thousand hryvnias or banal blackmail of the owner with personal photos or documents from "Favorites".
Capturing new victims. Your account is trusted. So sending out phishing links on your behalf works much more effectively than spam from an unknown bot.
Data hunting. Searching for passwords, bank cards, scanned copies of passports, or corporate secrets in correspondence.
Targeted attacks (Fake Boss). Hacking the account of a top manager or HR manager in order to give commands to the accounting department or collect employee data on their behalf.
Spam and disinformation. Spreading fake news, propaganda, or manipulation on behalf of a real, reputable person.
Popular traps: how exactly they catch us
Attackers are excellent psychologists. They tap into three main triggers: the desire to help, curiosity, and fear.
"Vote for the goddaughter." A classic of the genre. A message from an acquaintance asking to support a child in a contest. The link leads to a convincing website where, for "fair voting," you have to log in via Telegram.
Free Telegram Premium. Free subscription offer that requires "verify account."
Shocking content. Phrases like “Is that you in the photo?”, “Look what they’re writing about you on the channel,” or a suggestion to “hit someone on the bases.”
"Blocking in 24 hours." Learning from fear. You receive an SMS or a message supposedly from Telegram security services about a "violation of the rules." To prevent your account from being deleted, you must urgently "pass the verification" via the link.
SIM card hijacking or fake apps. SIM swapping schemes, malicious “stripper” bots, or modified Telegram clients that silently read incoming codes.
The catch: You receive an emotional request for help from a friend whose profile has already been hacked.
Trap. Clicking on a link to a beautiful fake contest website.
Request. You click "Vote", and the site asks you to provide your phone number and enter the code that just came to the messenger.
Blind spot. The system message from Telegram says in black and white: “This is the login code. Do not give it to anyone.” But most people in a hurry ignore the warning and enter the numbers on the site.
Checkmate. The attacker enters your code on his server, kicks you out of the system, and starts sending similar spam to your notebook.
Digital Hygiene Rules from the EMA Association
Cybersecurity experts say that most hacks are not caused by sophisticated viruses, but by carelessness. Here's how to protect your account:
Enable 2FA now. Set up an additional cloud password (Settings ➔ Privacy & Security ➔ Two-Step Verification). This is the main wall against phishing.
Never enter authorization codes on third-party sites. Remember: entering a code from Telegram on any site always means transferring rights to your account. The official web version exists only at [https://web.telegram.org/](https://web.telegram.org/).
Forget about "Sign in with Telegram" on unknown resources . Do not log in via the messenger on dubious sites, bots, or surveys.
Check requests for money through other channels. If a friend writes to ask for a loan of 5,000 UAH (even if they dropped a circle or a voice message generated by a neural network) - call them on a regular number or ask a question that only the two of you know the answer to.
Received a suspicious message from a friend? Don't click on the links. Write to them on another messenger or call them and warn them that they seem to have been hacked.
What to do if your account is still stolen: a checklist from the Cyber Police
If you can still access the app:
Go to Settings - Devices and click "End all other sessions."
Urgently change or set a two-factor authentication password.
Check if the attackers have changed the recovery email.
If you have been completely kicked out of your profile:
Quickly warn your friends and colleagues on Facebook, Instagram, or via SMS that your Telegram has been hacked and you are not asking for money.
Write to Telegram support.
Change the passwords on all services and emails that were linked or mentioned in correspondence.
If you are unable to restore access, request complete account deletion to stop mailings on your behalf.
Соціальні мережі та штучний інтелект формують глобальні наративи про війну в Україні. Як їх використовують українці та росіяни — аналітика від Foreign Policy
Напередодні вторгнення росії в Україну соціальні медіа слугували полем битви для держав і недержавних діячів, щоби поширювати конкуруючі наративи про війну та зображати поточний конфлікт у своїх власних інтересах. Видання Foreign Policy опублікувало великий аналітичний матеріал, як українці та росіяни використовують соціальні мережі, щоб давати інформацію про війну. Наводимо його адаптований переклад.
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