Iranian cybercrime authorities have issued a warning about a sophisticated scam on Telegram involving a fake bot impersonating Bank Melli Iran, aimed at stealing users’ messaging and banking credentials through social engineering tactics and fake verification prompts.
Iranian cybercrime police have warned of a Telegram scam that uses a fake bot posing as Bank Melli Iran to steal access to users’ messaging and banking accounts. According to Zoomit, Colonel Javad Mokhtar-Razavi of the FATA cyber police said criminals are circulating a bot that asks people to prove they are not automated by pressing a button, then leads them to a counterfeit page asking for a five-digit code.
That code is not a routine verification step, but the Telegram login code, police said. Once a user enters it, the attacker can take over the Telegram account. Mokhtar-Razavi said the same fraud can also expose the login code for the Bank Melli app, allowing criminals to reach the victim’s bank account as well.
The warning fits a wider pattern of Telegram-based frauds in which scammers exploit the platform’s trust and speed. Security guides from Panda Security and ScamAdviser say criminals often rely on pressure, fake legitimacy and requests for sensitive data such as passwords, one-time codes or identification documents. They advise users to verify channels against official sources, avoid unknown links and be sceptical of messages urging immediate action.
Police urged users not to click unfamiliar buttons or links and to activate Telegram’s two-step verification. If someone has already entered the codes, the advice is to change Telegram and banking passwords immediately, remove unknown devices from the account and report the incident through Iran’s 096380 hotline.
Disclaimer: This article is intended to inform and educate, not to recommend or endorse any financial product, investment or strategy. Please consider your own financial circumstances and seek professional advice where appropriate before making financial decisions.
