{"id":34093,"date":"2024-12-16T05:03:09","date_gmt":"2024-12-16T10:03:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.za\/blog\/?p=34093"},"modified":"2025-07-24T10:19:16","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T08:19:16","slug":"telegram-account-hacked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.za\/blog\/telegram-account-hacked\/34093\/","title":{"rendered":"What to do if your Telegram account is hacked"},"content":{"rendered":"

Account hijacking in Telegram has become a serious criminal business in today\u2019s world. Scammers employ sophisticated methods to steal access to accounts, and then use them to attack other users through deepfakes, social engineering, and other techniques. Here\u2019s how it typically works: having stolen an account, scammers send phishing messages to all its contacts \u2014 such as \u201cHi, I urgently need money. Can you help me?\u201d<\/em>, Please vote for me if you have a moment<\/em><\/a> or You\u2019ve received a gift \u2013 a one-year subscription to Telegram Premium<\/em><\/a> \u2014 to hijack even more accounts.<\/p>\n

These messages often have phishing links at the other end, which look legitimate \u2014 for example, https:\/\/t.me\/premium<\/code> \u2014 but actually redirect users to fraudulent websites. If you click the link and follow the scammer\u2019s instructions, you\u2019ll likely lose access to your Telegram account (especially if you haven\u2019t set up two-step verification in Telegram). Your contacts may then receive similar phishing messages from your account.<\/p>\n

Stolen or fake accounts can also be used for complex targeted attacks \u2014 sometimes employing deepfakes to deceive employees of organizations. You might encounter messages allegedly from company management that include personal details like your full name, mentioning some kind of inspection by government authorities, and demanding confidential information or financial assistance in an air of complete secrecy. These are always fake.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the original Telegram account owner might not even realize at first that their account has been compromised. They continue chatting with friends, reading their favorite channels<\/a>, and assuming they\u2019re safe from scammers. How is this possible? This happens because Telegram allows multiple sessions to the same account from different devices. Having gained access to your account, scammers open a session on their device without closing your active sessions. Then they send messages, and immediately delete them on the sender\u2019s side only. In this way, recipients see the messages, but the victim doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

As we are seeing, scammers are interested in everyone \u2014 even the most ordinary of Telegram users. In this article, we address two key questions: how to know if your Telegram account has been hacked, and if it has, what should you do?\n<\/p>\n

How to know if your Telegram account has been hacked<\/h2>\n

\nThe following are possible signs that your account has been hacked: your username or profile picture has changed; you\u2019ve been entered into some suspicious competitions; you see a message sent from your account that\u2019s then immediately deleted; your friends tell you they\u2019ve received strange messages from you that you can\u2019t see. Let\u2019s go through these one by one\u2026<\/p>\n

Changes to your username or profile picture. <\/strong>Scammers might alter your username to include a phishing link or put the link in your bio. They might also modify your profile picture to their advantage. For example, adding a note to your photo asking for help: \u201cI\u2019m in trouble, please help me however you can\u201d. Any change of information without your knowledge indicates a compromise. In short, if something has changed \u201cby itself\u201d, then most likely attackers are responsible: you\u2019ve been hacked.<\/p>\n

Participation in suspicious activities. <\/strong>Scammers might send you a link to activate a Telegram Premium gift subscription, and if you \u201cactivate\u201d it, your account will be stolen. This is a fairly popular account hijacking scam, which we\u2019ve covered in detail on the Kaspersky Daily blog<\/a>. Popular, yes \u2014 but far from the only one. Here\u2019s another one: asking for help to win a vote<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Friends report receiving strange messages from you, which you don\u2019t see. <\/strong>Scammers work hard to conceal the fact that your account has been hacked. They delete all messages sent from your account on the sender\u2019s side. The recipient gets the message (and can even reply), but you won\u2019t know about it unless your friends inform you.<\/p>\n

You receive a login code for a new device. <\/strong>However, you definitely didn\u2019t attempt to log in, and all your known devices are already connected to your account. Scammers usually delete such messages immediately, but if you spot a request for such a code, your account is under attack right there and then.<\/p>\n

If you notice any of these signs, act quickly \u2014 you\u2019ve only 24 hours to save your account. Why 24 hours? Telegram has built-in protection against account theft \u2014 preventing new devices from terminating active sessions on other devices within the first 24 hours. After 24 hours, the scammers will end all other sessions on your account, and you\u2019ll lose all access.\n<\/p>\n

What to do if your Telegram account has been hacked<\/h2>\n

\nHere are some basic countermeasures to take if you detect signs of a Telegram account hack.\n<\/p>\n

Terminate all unknown sessions<\/h3>\n

\nTo do this, go to Settings \u2192 Devices \u2192 Terminate all other sessions<\/strong> (in desktop clients, this section might be called Active sessions<\/strong>). This will log out all sessions except the current one, cutting off the scammers\u2019 access to your account. <\/strong><\/p>\n

\"How<\/a>

How to terminate sessions in Telegram<\/p><\/div>\n

Alternatively, you can choose specific sessions to terminate by selecting them and clicking Terminate Session<\/strong>, or by clicking Edit <\/strong>in the top right corner of the screen.<\/p>\n

We also recommend you set up a deadline for termination of automatic sessions: Settings \u2192 Devices \u2192 Automatically terminate old sessions \u2192 If Inactive For 1 week<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

Contact technical support<\/h3>\n

\nTo do this, navigate to Settings \u2192 Ask a question<\/strong> to reach Telegram support. While this might seem a safe option, the 24-hour timeline could play into the scammers\u2019 hands here: Telegram support is handled by volunteers, so a response may take time in coming. So first of all, you should terminate all unknown sessions (see above), and enable two-factor authentication (see below).<\/p>\n

If you proceed with contacting support, you\u2019ll enter a chat with the Volunteer Support bot. Note that this bot can only be initiated through Settings \u2192 Ask a question<\/strong> \u2014 remember this to avoid falling victim to scams. The bot will provide instant FAQ answers, but there\u2019s no option for \u201cAccount hacked\u201d in its standard menu. To get help from a human, either select Skip and process to volunteers<\/strong>, or type your request in the chat, and press Yes, redirect me<\/strong>. Telegram will inform you that most volunteers communicate in Russian or English.<\/p>\n

\"How<\/a>

How to contact Telegram support and speak to a person instead of a bot<\/p><\/div>\n

If you\u2019ve already lost access to your Telegram account, there\u2019s another way to contact Telegram support: fill out a form on the official website<\/a> specifying the issue, your phone number, and your email.\n<\/p>\n

Recover access to your Telegram account via SMS code<\/h3>\n

\nIf more than 24 hours have passed and you no longer have access to your account on any device (because the hackers ended all your sessions), try recovering it with your phone number:\n<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Open the Telegram app<\/li>\n
  2. Enter your phone number and confirm it<\/li>\n
  3. Select Tap to get a code via SMS<\/strong><\/li>\n
  4. Enter the received code<\/li>\n
  5. Enter your two-step verification password, if set<\/li>\n
  6. End all other sessions<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \nBear in mind that you need to act quickly here: once you enter your phone number, all devices with an active session linked to this number will receive a notification in Telegram. This means the hackers will know you\u2019re attempting to regain access.\n<\/p>\n

    Create a new Telegram account with the same number<\/h3>\n

    \nIf you can\u2019t recover your account, the only way to continue using Telegram with the same phone number is to delete the old account and create a new one. However, in this case, you\u2019ll permanently lose your chat history and administrator rights in your channels.<\/p>\n

    You can only delete your Telegram account if you have access to it, or if you\u2019ve set up two-step verification. If you\u2019ve at least one open session, go to Settings \u2192 Privacy and Security \u2192 Automatically delete my account if away for\u2026 \u2192 Delete Account Now<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    If you don\u2019t have access to your account but have two-step verification set up, you can delete the account as follows:\n<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Open the Telegram app<\/li>\n
    2. Enter your phone number<\/li>\n
    3. Select Forgot password?<\/strong><\/li>\n
    4. Select Unable to access <\/your><\/strong><\/li>\n
    5. Select Reset account<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      \nIf you don\u2019t have access to your account on any device, and two-step verification is disabled, you can\u2019t delete the account. Warn your friends and family about the loss of access so they don\u2019t fall for scams sent from your account.\n<\/p>\n

      How to protect your Telegram account from being hacked<\/h2>\n

      \nThe best thing you can do right now<\/strong> to protect your account is to set up two-step verification. This means a password will be required in addition to a code when logging in from a new device. This additional security factor will make hacking more difficult, give you more time to react, and allow you to delete the account in case you lose access.<\/p>\n

      Go to Settings \u2192 Privacy and Security \u2192 Two-Step Verification<\/strong>. Next, create a password, enter a recovery email, and confirm it by entering the code you receive.<\/p>\n

      The password should be strong and unique to make it difficult for scammers to guess. To create and store secure passwords, we recommend using Kaspersky Password Manager<\/a>.<\/p>\n

      Be sure to share this guide with friends and family \u2014 especially those new to Telegram, to help them stay safe in the digital space.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      We explain how to detect if scammers have gained access to your Telegram account, and what to do about it. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2706,"featured_media":34709,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[1853,3431,105,14,82,1250,43,611],"class_list":{"0":"post-34093","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tips","8":"tag-tips","9":"tag-account-theft","10":"tag-android","11":"tag-apple","12":"tag-hacking","13":"tag-ios","14":"tag-privacy","15":"tag-telegram"},"hreflang":[{"hreflang":"en-za","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.za\/blog\/telegram-account-hacked\/34093\/"},{"hreflang":"en-in","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.in\/blog\/telegram-account-hacked\/28384\/"},{"hreflang":"en-ae","url":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/telegram-account-hacked\/23642\/"},{"hreflang":"ar","url":"https:\/\/me.kaspersky.com\/blog\/telegram-account-hacked\/12200\/"},{"hreflang":"en-gb","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.uk\/blog\/telegram-account-hacked\/28516\/"},{"hreflang":"es-mx","url":"https:\/\/latam.kaspersky.com\/blog\/telegram-account-hacked\/27882\/"},{"hreflang":"es","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.es\/blog\/telegram-account-hacked\/30678\/"},{"hreflang":"it","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.it\/blog\/telegram-account-hacked\/29384\/"},{"hreflang":"ru","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.ru\/blog\/telegram-account-hacked\/38711\/"},{"hreflang":"tr","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com.tr\/blog\/telegram-account-hacked\/13070\/"},{"hreflang":"x-default","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/telegram-account-hacked\/52775\/"},{"hreflang":"fr","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.fr\/blog\/telegram-account-hacked\/22488\/"},{"hreflang":"pt-br","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com.br\/blog\/telegram-account-hacked\/23307\/"},{"hreflang":"de","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.de\/blog\/telegram-account-hacked\/31848\/"},{"hreflang":"ja","url":"https:\/\/blog.kaspersky.co.jp\/telegram-account-hacked\/37405\/"},{"hreflang":"ru-kz","url":"https:\/\/blog.kaspersky.kz\/telegram-account-hacked\/28626\/"},{"hreflang":"en-au","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com.au\/blog\/telegram-account-hacked\/34468\/"}],"acf":[],"banners":"","maintag":{"url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.za\/blog\/tag\/telegram\/","name":"telegram"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34093","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2706"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34093"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34093\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34809,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34093\/revisions\/34809"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34709"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34093"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34093"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34093"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}