'Moderation Bot' Blacklists Telegram Users to Tackle Crypto Scams

Blockchain advisory firm AmaZix is opening up access to its "moderation bot" to help stamp out cryptocurrency scams on popular messaging app Telegram.

Using the bot, the company has built up a blacklist of Telegram users based on data collected over two years. So far, the list contains over 50,000 banned users, according to a press release emailed to CoinDesk.

The database of dubious actors was developed through the moderation of groups on Telegram. From over 140 groups, AmaZix said it has seen over 730,000 Telegram users, of which over 54,500 (7.5 percent) were banned for apparently attempting some form of crypto scam.

These include impersonating admins and direct messaging users, posting fake offers or giveaways, posting links for cloned social media or other websites, and phishing group users in attempts to steal private keys.

AmaZix CEO Jonas Karlberg explained how the system works in the release, saying:

The company's chief operating officer, Dejan Horvat, told CoinDesk that the service works in English only for now, but said many of its features do not require language. For example, forwarding links or accounts is banned.

"If someone forwards spam, regardless of the language, then the bot will act on it. The only feature where language is important is the curse list where the bot deletes many curse words," he said.

Horvat added that, if a telegram user is wrongly blacklisted, they can report it to the team, "who will then investigate the situation and remove you from the blacklist if appropriate."

The blacklist is administered in "real-time" 24-hours a day by the firm's channel moderators, according to the release. AmaZix has no formal relationship with Telegram currently, according to Horvat.

Karlberg concluded:

Telegram image via Shutterstock