[54543] Wave of complaints about online fraud: Telegram figures under public investigation

Wave of complaints about online fraud: Telegram figures under public investigation

In the last day, a wave of reports in Iranian Telegram communities has exposed allegations of sophisticated criminal activity managed by figures known online by aliases. According to کانال هواداران استقلال, an individual known as "Etna", a resident of the Isfahan area, manages a fraud network that combines sponsored advertising on Telegram with fictitious legal proceedings to take control of victims' money.

Method of operation

According to the testimonies on کانال هواداران استقلال, the method involves contacting advertisers, receiving payment, and subsequently filing proactive legal complaints to lead to the freezing of the victims' bank accounts. The claims state that those involved also use free VPN services as bait to gain access to users' devices and compromise their privacy and digital security. One user claimed that about 500 million (local currency not specified) were lost in this affair.

Public warnings

Additional reporting channels including اخبارفوری خبرفوری جنگ امریکا فوری and اخبارفوری خبرفوری جنگ امریکا حمله have circulated the warning regarding the illegal activity. The community is calling on users to avoid any transfer of funds, whether in local currency, Tether (USDT), or Tron (TRX), to those entities. The main message emerging from the reports is a demand for increased vigilance, as "everyone already knows that Etna is a thief," according to the Esteghlal fan channel.

As of this time, these claims have not yet been verified by official law enforcement agencies, but the discourse on social media reflects growing distrust toward anonymous services operating under the auspices of popular Telegram channels.