Telegram Bots: How They Are Used

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. Telegram Bots: How They Are Used

3. Telegram Bots and Fraud

4. Telegram Bots: The Future

Introduction: What Are Telegram Bots?

Telegram bots are automated programs that enable users to interact and perform certain activities on the Telegram messaging app. 

You can chat with Telegram bots, verify participation in cryptocurrency airdrop tasks, and receive files and messages from the bots.

Telegram bots are usually not private: they can be used by almost everyone. In some cases, a private Telegram channel with a bot is activated so that only users of that channel can use the bot.

If you need to access a public Telegram bot, you can find the bot on the Telegram search option. If it is a private Telegram bot that you want to use, you have to be invited by the Telegram bot admin.

Telegram bots have numerous interesting commands and usually there is a slash before a command. For example: /help, /start, /status, etc. 

Each command precedes a certain action: the help command usually gives users a list of all commands and the actions that can be performed.

Telegram Bots: How They Are Used

According to Telegram, Telegram bots have a variety of functions. Usage depends on user needs and available bots. Here is the list of the many functions that Telegram bots provide:

1. Getting customized notifications and news: You can get notifications on Telegram bot when you use your own bot, an access token and @BotFather on Telegram. This can be an easy, code free method for getting notifications. BotFather and news bots on Telegram help users to get news updates from all over the world.

2. Integration with other services: Telegram bots can enrich chats with content from other sites. There are Telegram bots for YouTube, IMDB, GitHub, Wikipedia, Music, Gmail, etc. Some websites for the purchase of goods and services can be linked to Telegram bots for fast sales and advertising.

3. Accepting payments: In April 2021, Telegram launched the Payments 2.0 with Bot Api v.5.2. This enables the creation and sending of invoices, customer tipping and accepting payment from users on mobile and desktop apps. In addition, entrepreneurs can show off their goods and accept tips from their customers.

4. Creating custom tools: A Telegram bot can be used to create alerts, weather forecasts, translations, formatting, etc. Telegram bots like Manybot can be used to automatically post to your Telegram channel: it saves you the stress of repetitively creating posts.

5. Building games: 2016 saw the launch of a bot powered Gaming Platform on Telegram. The Gaming Platform 1.0 helped users to play games complete with graphics and sound on Telegram. Since then, there have been many Telegram gaming bots that offer a HTML 5 gaming system for users and their friends.

6. Creating social services: Telegram bots can be used to connect people of similar interests: for example, dog lovers in a particular region can chat and organize physical meet-ups . In this context, film and music lovers often use bots for interaction.

7. Email and website monitoring: The good thing about Telegram bots is that they are so versatile. A bot can directly transfer information from your Google Analytics straight to your Telegram account. You will have information about the number of website views and you can even share this with selected colleagues in some cases. You can also check your emails with Telegram bots and automate some emails to send with Office 365 mail.

Telegram Bots and Fraud

Telegram bots are popular all over the globe: however, they are used by criminals to defraud unsuspecting people especially in the world of cryptocurrency.

For example, you might register for an airdrop via the chatbot and never get the airdrop after performing all tasks and submitting your wallet address. 

In other cases, you will be asked to deposit a minimal amount of Tron(TRX), Ethereum(ETH), Binance Coin Token(BNB) before the withdrawal. Channels are created for this purpose and many people lose their money.

A report published by Threatpost has shown how Telegram bots have been used successfully for trade scams. According to the report, at least 40 cyber gangs have made $6.5 million from using Telegram bots and phishing to defraud people of their hard-earned money.

The Telegram bots lead the victims from fake sites where products such as cameras, laptops, and game consoles are sold at ridiculously low prices to straight-up phishing and fake payment platforms.

There have also been reports detailing how hackers have been obtaining One Time Passwords(OTPs) and draining bank accounts of their victims with the aid of Telegram bots. 

Telegram bots are multifunctional: however, you should be careful when using a bot. Do not send cryptocurrency or make payments without doing adequate research.

Telegram Bots: The Future 

Although there are concerns about the safety of Telegram bots, there is no doubt about the versatility and good function that these bots provide.

In years from now, Telegram bots will provide more function and security than before: this is because of the expected increase in the number of Telegram users worldwide and cyber security awareness.

Despite all the amazing features that Telegram bots have, third-party encryption makes your device more vulnerable to hackers.

In my opinion, Telegram bots can be good for organizing your day and managing your business, but they are not the best option for making payments or participating in cryptocurrency airdrops. 

Use Telegram bots with care: making sure not to divulge your card details or send cryptocurrency to a random address. Stay safe and scam-free while enjoying the wonderful Telegram bots.