Dark Web Telegram: How Cybercrime Thrives on Telegram in 2025

• Criminals increasingly use Telegram as a dark web lite, exploiting encrypted channels and large public groups to run underground markets and scams.
• Stolen credit cards, malware, phishing kits, botnets, and money laundering services are openly traded at scale.
• In 2025, this shift matters because threat actors prefer Telegram’s low barrier to entry, anonymity, and resilience, making it a major hub for cybercrime.
• Security teams and law enforcement must now monitor Telegram channels in addition to classic Tor marketplaces.
• We explain what the dark web Telegram ecosystem looks like, how it compares to the traditional dark web, and how organizations can detect and defend against Telegram based threats, threat intel feeds, brand monitoring, fraud detection, and takedown coordination.

What is Dark Web Telegram?

The term dark web Telegram loosely refers to Telegram channels and groups used for illicit activity similar to what happens on the Tor based dark web. Telegram is a popular encrypted messaging app nearly 1 billion users that offers both public and private chat channels. It isn’t part of the dark web which is hidden content accessible only via Tor or I2P browsers, but some users call certain Telegram channels dark because of their secrecy and anonymity features.

Telegram offers end to end encryption in its secret chat mode and supports self-destructing messages, which attracts users who want privacy. However, normal Telegram channels are not E2E encrypted and still leave metadata like phone numbers on the service. Think of Telegram’s hidden channels as a semi public space: anyone with a link can join many groups, yet the participants often use pseudonyms and encryption. In practice, organized crime syndicates have migrated much of their trade from Tor to Telegram, making it a dark web lite platform for buying and selling stolen data, hacking tools, and scam services.For more on how the dark and deep webs differ, see our Deep Web vs Dark Web guide.

Why Does Telegram’s Dark Web Matter in 2025?

In 2025, security experts note a migration of cybercriminal activity to Telegram channels. A UNODC report found that Asian crime gangs use Telegram for large scale scams, saying stolen credit card numbers and personal data are openly traded on a vast scale in Telegram channels with little moderation. Researchers call Telegram a new hub for underground markets. For example, analysts found Chinese language guarantee markets on Telegram like Xinbi Guarantee and Haowang/Huione Guarantee processing tens of billions of dollars in crypto fraud transactions. In short, money laundering, phishing kits, malware binaries, and fake IDs the usual dark web wares are being advertised via Telegram posts.

Why does this matter now? First, scope and speed: Telegram’s large user base and in app search make it easy for criminals to reach buyers and sellers instantly. Channels can have up to 200,000 members public by URL with minimal oversight. Second, law enforcement is taking notice: Telegram’s founder was arrested in France in 2024 for allegedly facilitating online crime, and the company now says it will comply with more U.S. court orders. Telegram recently fulfilled 900 U.S. government data requests in 2024 up from 14 previously, disclosing info on 2,253 users. In other words, authorities are cracking down, and criminals are on the run. Finally, the broader threat landscape is evolving: as traditional Tor markets get scuttled by takedowns, actors simply rebuild on Telegram. The result is that defending against dark web crime now means monitoring Telegram in addition to onion sites.

U.S. Treasury has even targeted a Telegram based market operator. In May 2025 FinCEN labeled Cambodia’s Huione Group linked to Telegram’s Haowang market as a money laundering concern. This marks Telegram channels as not just online nuisances but national security threats.

How Criminals Exploit Telegram: Real World Examples

Cybercriminals use Telegram channels for many illegal purposes. Below are key examples with real incidents of how Telegram is abused:

• Data Markets: Telegram channels trade stolen databases credit cards, credentials, personal info. Reuters reports that hacked credit card details, passwords and browser histories are openly traded on a vast scale on Telegram. For example, a Telegram group might offer bulk dumps of leaked credentials at a set price, similar to a darknet market.
• Illicit Services: Telegram hosts malware as a service and hacking tools. Some public channels routinely advertise ready to use malware info stealers, ransomware kits, exploit tools and offer botnets for hire. According to a security report, Telegram channels have been used as command and control servers for malware. Criminals also post phishing kits and tutorials. Because Telegram allows easy link sharing, channels propagate malicious downloads quickly.
• Scams & Fraud: Telegram is rife with investment and romance scams. For example, pig butchering crypto scams where victims are lured into fake crypto investments rely on Telegram for communication. Elliptic analysts found that channels like Xinbi and Tudou guarantee Chinese markets on Telegram facilitated crypto scams worth billions. Often these channels offer guarantees and even functioning escrow systems, targeting hundreds of thousands of users.
• Money Laundering & Counterfeits: Telegram channels facilitate money exchanges and fake goods. There are channels offering cryptocurrency mixers, unlicensed exchanges, or cash out services. Others sell counterfeits, fake IDs, passports, banknotes and illicit goods, weapons, drugs. Because many Telegram channels are multilingual Chinese, Russian, English, etc., they serve as global black markets.
• Child Exploitation & Extremism: Like the dark web, Telegram has been used for sharing illegal pornography and extremist propaganda. Its private chat and channel features unfortunately allow distribution of banned content. This has led to legal pressure; for example, French prosecutors charged Telegram’s CEO in 2024 partly over content moderation concerns.

In summary, Telegram’s encrypted platform has simply become another playground for dark web crime. The criminals favor it because channels are easy to join and the user base is enormous. UNODC and Reuters emphasize that activities on Telegram have required criminals to innovate with new business models, mixing generative AI and old scams. The result is a clutter of underground channels advertising illicit wares, often with flashy posts and Telegram bots to automate deals.

Got a Telegram channel you suspect? Always be wary of clicking unknown links or downloading files from such groups. As one UNODC official warned, using Telegram can mean your data is fed into scams or other criminal activity without you knowing.

Telegram vs Traditional Dark Web: A Comparison

Telegram’s illicit channels are not the same as the Tor dark web, though they share some traits. The table below compares key aspects:

In short, Telegram makes it easier for criminals to broadcast illegal offerings to a wider audience. A Reuters reporter noted that Telegram channels allowed criminals to sell on a vast scale with little moderation. By contrast, Tor’s hidden markets are smaller and harder for newcomers to access. On the other hand, the classic dark web can offer stronger anonymity no phone number required and is outside of corporate app platforms. This comparison shows why Telegram is complementary to the dark web: it inherits some features of each.

If your security team monitors the dark web, also watch Telegram channels. Many threat intelligence platforms now include Telegram feeds. Check out our Dark Web Monitoring Tools roundup for recommendations on scanning both Tor and messaging apps.

How to Protect Yourself and Your Organization

Given the risks, what can you do? Here are practical steps for individuals and businesses:

1. Practice Good OSINT Hygiene: Only join Telegram groups you trust. Use burner accounts or aliases for Telegram if you need to follow potential threat feeds. Never post personal information, and disable features like auto download of media.
2. Use the Platform Safely: Always verify public channel links from reputable sources. Avoid clicking on unknown Telegram invite links especially those claiming freebies or bank offers. If you do click, don’t download any files unless you scan them with up to date antivirus.
3. Monitor for Exposure: Set up alerts for your data. Use dark web monitoring tools or hire a service that scan Telegram channels and paste sites for your organization’s email addresses, domain names, or product names. Early warning can come from a threat intelligence bot on Telegram or by crawling known criminal channels. For enterprise needs, consider solutions like Recorded Future or DarkOwl that cover Telegram and other platforms.
4. Law Enforcement and Legal Compliance: If you discover illicit content e.g. stolen data for sale, report it to authorities. Remember that buying or downloading illegal items on Telegram can get you into legal trouble. Also review Telegram’s terms of service and local laws: Telegram now cooperates with legal investigations in serious crimes. Ensure your actions stay above board, consult legal if in doubt.
5. Strengthen Internal Security: Beyond Telegram, harden your systems. Conduct regular penetration testing services to find vulnerabilities before attackers exploit them. Combine threat intelligence with proactive security: for example, after monitoring reveals potential credential exposure, immediately enforce password resets and multi factor authentication MFA. Consider continuous penetration testing platforms to maintain vigilance year round.

Always use multi factor authentication on all accounts including Telegram if you must use it. Keep your devices patched and use VPN/Tor if you want extra privacy. Educate staff: anyone can become a target of Telegram scams, so train employees to spot red flags, unusual investment opportunities, romance spam, pirated content.

Myth vs Reality: Telegram’s Anonymity

There are many misconceptions about Telegram and the dark web. Let’s debunk a few:

• Myth: Telegram chats are fully end to end encrypted. Reality: Only secret chats in Telegram are end-to-end encrypted. Regular channels and groups use server side encryption. That means your messages and a record of who spoke with whom are stored on Telegram’s servers by default.
• Myth: Criminals on Telegram can’t be tracked. Reality: Telegram accounts need phone numbers to register. Even if criminals use VOIP or burner numbers, they often still generate logs. The app now sends data to courts under legal orders. Moreover, public groups are not anonymous; law enforcement has infiltrated many of them by joining as members or using undercover accounts.
• Myth: Telegram’s dark web channels are hidden, so law enforcement is blind to them. Reality: Many illicit Telegram channels are public and indexed by search. For example, security researchers pointed out that key scam markets advertised their Telegram links on other forums and dark web pages. When Wired and Elliptic exposed the $24B Huione market, Telegram quickly banned those channels. This shows authorities can find and act on them. For more on investigating hidden content, see How Law Enforcement Tracks Criminals On The Dark Web.
• Myth: Telegram is only for criminals and has no legitimate use. Reality: Almost the opposite is true. Telegram is a mainstream app used for personal messaging, news channels, and communities. Criminal channels are a tiny fraction of all Telegram traffic, albeit a very dangerous one. Most users on Telegram have nothing to do with the dark web.
• Myth: Once a Telegram channel is banned, the criminal activity stops. Reality: Criminals often rebrand or spin up new channels. The Wired story noted that after Telegram banned Xinbi and Haowang in May 2025, the operators simply launched Tudou Guarantee or moved to new accounts. So banning can displace but not always eliminate a market immediately.

Understanding these realities helps organizations prioritize their defenses. Telegram is not inherently illegal, but its features can be abused. By staying informed e.g. reading Dark Web Myths vs Reality, you avoid complacency.

Tools & Techniques: Monitoring Telegram Channels

Security teams use a mix of automated tools and manual methods to keep an eye on Telegram:

• OSINT Tools & APIs: There are Python libraries like Telethon or Pyrogram that let you programmatically interact with Telegram. Analysts write scripts to join channels and extract messages for keywords e.g. your company domain or leaked credentials. For more advanced needs, tools like DarkGram, a research framework, can crawl large numbers of channels.
• Commercial Threat Intelligence: Firms like KELA, SOCRadar, and Group IB offer dark web intelligence services that include Telegram. They continuously scrape public channels and groups for stolen data or targeted chatter, then send alerts. Some even use graph analysis to link accounts and networks of scammers. These services complement self built tools.
• Community Monitoring: Some security researchers maintain shared lists of Telegram fraud channels. Subscribing to reputable security mailing lists or following threat intelligence blogs like DeepStrike’s own can give leads on new scam groups. OSINT enthusiasts also publish Telegram channel directories that index channels by topic legit and illicit. While these indices often contain benign groups, some track known fraud channels as well.
• Network Graphing: By analyzing channel membership overlaps, investigators can map criminal networks. For example, the DarkGram study traced 339 cybercrime related channels 24M subscribers and found that many members overlap between data selling and scam offering channels. Visualizing these intersections using tools like Gephi can highlight key syndicates to monitor.

For a rundown of scanning platforms, see our Dark Web Monitoring Tools post. It covers how free and paid solutions tackle hidden data detection though note, most focus on Tor forums more than messaging apps.

By combining these methods, defenders gain situational awareness. If a threat actor posts your company’s data for sale on Telegram, an alert can trigger immediate response, password resets, incident response, etc. rather than waiting months to discover a breach.

Telegram’s evolving use by cybercriminals shows that dark web threats are not limited to Tor anymore. By 2025, major scams and data markets have found a home on Telegram channels, taking advantage of its encryption and user base. The good news is that security teams and law enforcement are catching up: platforms are now cooperating more, and threat monitoring tools can scan Telegram alongside traditional dark web sites.

Ready to Strengthen Your Defenses? The threats of 2025 demand more than just awareness; they require readiness. If you’re looking to validate your security posture, identify hidden risks, or build a resilient defense strategy, DeepStrike is here to help. Our team of practitioners provides clear, actionable guidance to protect your business.

Explore our penetration testing services to see how we can uncover vulnerabilities before attackers do. Drop us a line, we’re always ready to dive in.

About the AuthorMohammed Khalil is a Cybersecurity Architect at DeepStrike, specializing in advanced penetration testing and offensive security operations. With certifications including CISSP, OSCP, and OSWE, he has led numerous red team engagements for Fortune 500 companies, focusing on cloud security, application vulnerabilities, and adversary emulation. His work involves dissecting complex attack chains and developing resilient defense strategies for clients in the finance, healthcare, and technology sectors.

FAQs

• What do people mean by Dark Web Telegram?

It refers to Telegram channels and groups used for illicit trade, resembling dark web forums. Criminals use Telegram’s semi-anonymous environment to exchange stolen data, hacking tools, or scam services. It’s not literally on Tor, but its encryption and secrecy earn the nickname.

• Why do criminals prefer Telegram over the dark web?

Telegram offers massive reach nearly 1 billion users and easy access just an app, no Tor browser needed. Public channels can quickly gather followers via invite links. It also has built in voice/video and file sharing, making it easy to advertise goods with images and connect victims directly. Essentially, Telegram’s convenience and growth potential make it a popular hangout for cybercriminals.

• Is it illegal to visit dark web Telegram channels?

Merely joining or lurking in a Telegram group is not illegal per se, but participating in criminal activities is. Buying or selling illegal products, drugs, stolen data, weapons, etc. through Telegram is illegal. Even downloading files from illicit channels can risk malware. Users should be careful: law enforcement agents sometimes infiltrate these channels, and interacting with them even innocently could draw scrutiny. Always obey the law and avoid suspicious chats.

• Can law enforcement shut down Telegram dark web channels?

Telegram does block channels when reported or exposed. For example, after major investigations, Telegram banned the Xinbi and Haowang Guarantee markets. Also, Telegram’s new policy is to comply with authorities in serious crimes. However, operators often quickly relaunch under new names. So while individual channels can be taken down, the broader problem persists. Continuous monitoring is required.

• How can organizations find hidden Telegram channels?

Unlike Tor, there’s no single search engine for hidden Telegram groups, but there are ways to discover them. Security teams use in app keyword search, join public channels through URLs found in hacker forums, or scrape indexes some websites list channel links by category. Custom bots can scan for invitations or large open groups. In essence, a mix of manual sleuthing and automated tools helps find the relevant channels to watch.

• Is Telegram more secure than other messaging apps?

Telegram has strong features but also some limitations. It uses its own MTProto encryption; secret chats are E2E, but regular chats including groups are not fully E2E by default. It also requires a phone number, unlike some apps. Compared to fully encrypted apps like Signal, Telegram’s default settings trade off absolute privacy for convenience cloud storage and multi device sync. Criminals like the platform’s anonymity tools, but it’s not foolproof. Users should enable all security options and be aware of what is and isn’t encrypted.

• How can businesses mitigate the Telegram dark web threat?

Organizations should expand their threat intelligence to include Telegram. Implement dark web monitoring including Telegram channels to catch data leaks early. Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing to patch vulnerabilities so criminals have fewer opportunities. Train employees about social engineering via messaging apps. Finally, collaborate with cyber threat intelligence firms and law enforcement when larger threats appear. In short, treat Telegram like any other attack surface and integrate its monitoring into your security operations.