How Generative AI Is Flooding Discord and Telegram with Perfect Scams
By Dr. Pooyan Ghamari, Swiss Economist and Visionary
The New Playground for Digital Deception
Discord and Telegram have evolved from simple chat platforms into vibrant hubs for crypto communities, trading groups, and investment circles. Their anonymity, speed, and ease of use make them ideal for real-time discussion. Yet these same qualities have turned them into fertile ground for scams. Generative AI has dramatically lowered the barrier to creating convincing fraud, allowing even low-skill operators to flood channels with polished, personalized, and seemingly authentic content. The result is a surge in scams so sophisticated that traditional red flags are becoming harder to spot.
From Basic Bots to Hyper-Realistic Impersonators
Early scams on these platforms relied on crude bots spamming links or generic phishing messages. Generative AI changes the game entirely. Tools powered by large language models can now craft flawless English, mimic the tone and slang of specific crypto communities, and maintain long, natural conversations. Scammers create fake profiles that look like real users, complete with profile pictures generated in seconds. They impersonate project team members, moderators, or even well-known influencers. The AI keeps the conversation going, building trust over hours or days before delivering the final blow, whether a fake airdrop link, a wallet-draining contract, or a private sale of a nonexistent token.
Anatomy of a Perfect AI-Powered Scam
A typical attack begins with reconnaissance. The scammer scans public channels for users discussing specific projects or complaining about missed opportunities. Generative AI then crafts personalized messages that reference recent market events or the victim’s posting history. The conversation feels organic because the AI adapts in real time, answering questions, sharing “proof” in the form of forged screenshots, or even simulating live video calls with deepfake overlays. Victims are guided to malicious links or asked to connect wallets to “verify” eligibility for rewards. By the time suspicion arises, funds are already gone.
Why These Platforms Are Especially Vulnerable
Discord and Telegram prioritize user privacy and minimal moderation compared to mainstream social media. Channels can grow to tens of thousands of members with little oversight. Bots and new accounts join freely, and group admins often lack the tools or time to verify every interaction. The crypto community’s culture of fast-moving opportunities and high risk tolerance makes people more willing to engage with strangers promising quick gains. Generative AI exploits these weaknesses perfectly, creating a volume of convincing scams that overwhelms even vigilant users.
The Human Cost and the Erosion of Trust
The financial damage from these scams is staggering. Thousands of users lose life savings in seconds. Beyond money, the psychological toll is significant. Victims feel violated and humiliated, often withdrawing from crypto entirely. Trust in legitimate projects erodes as people become wary of every message, link, or announcement. Legitimate developers and communities suffer collateral damage as genuine interactions are met with suspicion. The flood of AI-generated scams threatens to poison the very spaces where decentralized innovation thrives.
Defending the Digital Commons
Combating this threat requires collective action. Users must adopt strict habits: never click unsolicited links, verify identities through official channels, and enable two-factor authentication. Community moderators can implement stricter entry requirements, such as verification bots or manual approval for new members. Platforms themselves must invest in AI-driven detection that identifies anomalous behavior and content patterns. Developers can use watermarking or cryptographic signatures to authenticate official communications. Education remains the strongest defense; the more people understand how these scams work, the less effective they become.
Reclaiming Safety in the Age of Generative AI
Generative AI is a double-edged sword. It democratizes creation and communication, but it also empowers fraud on a scale never seen before. Discord and Telegram are not going away, and neither is the crypto community’s need for open, fast, and borderless interaction. The challenge is to adapt faster than the scammers. By combining vigilance, technology, and shared responsibility, we can protect these vital spaces and ensure that innovation continues to flourish without being drowned in deception. The future of decentralized communities depends on it.