Getting flooded with all sorts of scam messages on Telegram? You’re definitely not the only one. What started as one of the most secure and flexible messaging apps has turned into a free-for-all for scammers, bots, and random users trying to push shady crypto deals or fake investment links. And because Telegram is designed to be open and discoverable, especially with its global username system and large public channels, it makes it easy for unwanted messages to slip through. If you're tired of waking up to a dozen scam texts from unknown accounts, you're probably wondering if there’s a real fix. There is and it’s surprisingly simple.
Telegram Premium, which many overlook as just a “paid badge” feature, actually gives you one tool that flips the game: the ability to set a paid message fee for people who aren’t in your contact list. You can choose the amount, and yes, you can make it something outrageous like $100 per message. This isn’t a gimmick and it’s a real, functional filter. And when used wisely, it not only cuts off the flood of scam messages, but also enhances your entire Telegram experience. In a time when online scams are growing smarter and sneakier, a solution that both protects and improves your messaging life is more than welcome.
Telegram is a powerful app. It’s encrypted, fast, cross-platform, and supports everything from basic messaging to file transfers, public groups, bots, and even entire ecosystems of communities. But that power comes at a price: openness. Anyone can search for your public username and message you. Unlike WhatsApp or Signal, where your phone number needs to be known, Telegram users are often just a single tap away from unsolicited contact. That design feature which some people love for its flexibility has also made Telegram a paradise for scammers and spammers.
Crypto fraud, romance scams, fake job offers, NSFW bait links, you name it, they show up in your Telegram inbox. A simple tap on a suspicious message could lead to malware, account hijack attempts, or phishing links that steal your private data. And the worst part? These scammers often use bots to automate the entire process, meaning you can receive ten or twenty scam messages in a single day, all from different fake accounts. For a lot of users, this is more than just annoying, it’s a threat to digital safety.
Scam filters? Telegram has some basic ones, and you can always block individual users. But it’s a whack-a-mole game. New accounts pop up faster than you can report them. Most of the time, the burden of security falls entirely on the user and that’s where Telegram Premium becomes more than just a "paid upgrade."
Most people think of Telegram Premium as just a paid version of the same app, giving you some cosmetic benefits and minor perks. But among its more powerful features is Paid Messaging, which allows you to charge a fee for anyone who wants to message you if they’re not in your contacts.
And here's the genius part: You get to set the price. You can make it a symbolic $1 or a firm $100. What does this do? It creates a psychological and financial wall. The average scammer is not going to pay $100 to send you a fake crypto offer. Their entire strategy relies on bulk messaging: spam thousands of users and hope that a few take the bait. When it costs money to even send a message, the strategy collapses.
By activating this feature, you take the upper hand. Now, only serious inquiries perhaps someone who actually wants to do business with you, follow up on a job opportunity, or genuinely connect will consider paying that message fee. And even then, you’re the one in control. Telegram gives you full notification settings, filtering options, and the ability to disable the feature anytime. It’s one of the few tools on the internet where spam is not filtered by AI guesswork, but by human cost. If they’re not willing to pay, they don’t get through. Simple as that.
Why a $100 message fee works? Let’s break this down with a real-life analogy. Imagine you’re in a coffee shop, and random people keep coming up to you with scam flyers and trying to sell you fake gold coins. It gets so bad that you can’t focus on your drink, much less have a peaceful conversation. What would happen if the shop suddenly required people to pay $100 just to approach your table? Instantly, only serious people remain. That’s exactly what Telegram Premium’s message fee does. It's not about making money from strangers though you could technically do that if someone chooses to pay, it’s about creating a cost barrier that scammers can’t afford.
This model also works because of how digital scammers think. They’re after quantity, not quality. They rarely personalize messages or take time to vet their targets. They want to send out 5,000 messages and hope that five people fall for it. If each message costs $100, that’s half a million dollars they'd have to spend is completely unrealistic. As a result, you eliminate them entirely from your inbox.
And if someone really wants to talk to you and is willing to spend the fee? That’s already a sign they value your time, and that changes the tone of the conversation before it even starts.
Beyond Spam: The Other Perks of Telegram Premium. Telegram Premium doesn’t stop at message filtering. It’s a full upgrade across the app. You get:
- Faster download speeds for files and media
- Larger file uploads (up to 4GB)
- Voice-to-text transcription
- Animated profile pictures and premium badges
- No ads in public channels
- Custom app icons and advanced chat management tools
- Custom Verified badge
So even if you’re only subscribing to Premium to block spam, the other features make the experience smoother and more powerful overall. You get a sense of exclusivity, not just because you paid, but because the app is now tuned to your needs. Telegram Premium is currently priced at around $5/month (depends on region), and for that price, you’re not just buying convenience, you’re buying peace of mind.
At the end of the day, digital life is about boundaries. We set passwords to guard our accounts, two-factor codes to protect our banks, and privacy settings on social media to limit exposure. Messaging apps should be no different. If people can just slide into your DMs with scams, your digital space is no longer yours.
Telegram Premium offers a simple, effective solution by letting you put a price on your time. By setting a $100 message fee for strangers, you not only remove 99.9% of scams from your inbox and you also reclaim control over who gets to reach you. It’s a smart move in an age where digital threats don’t knock, they sneak in.
So if you’re tired of the nonsense, the junk, and the daily scam parade, maybe it’s time to do something about it. A few dollars a month to keep your inbox clean and your sanity intact? Sounds like a worthwhile investment.
References:
Telegram. (2023, June). Introducing Telegram Premium. Telegram Messenger. https://telegram.org/blog/premium
Statista. (2024, March). Monthly number of active Telegram users worldwide from March 2014 to March 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/234038/telegram-messenger-monthly-active-users/
Kaspersky. (2023, September). Scam messages on Telegram: Trends and what to look out for. Kaspersky Daily. https://www.kaspersky.com/blog/telegram-scams/
Cybernews. (2023, July). Telegram scams are rising: Here’s what you need to know. https://cybernews.com/security/telegram-scams-rise/
WIRED. (2022, November). How scammers use bots to automate phishing on Telegram. https://www.wired.com/story/telegram-scams-bots-phishing/
Telegram. (2024). Telegram Premium FAQ. Telegram Help Center. https://telegram.org/faq#premium
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