Scammers are increasingly using teenagers’ accounts in Telegram to send spam, phishing links, and requests for money. IT expert Igor Bederov, director of the investigations department at T.Hunter, explained to Gazeta.ru the signs parents can use to detect early that a child’s account has been compromised.

Main Signs That an Account Has Been Hacked

  • Complaints from the child’s contacts. If friends or classmates begin receiving aggressive spam, suspicious links, or requests to borrow money sent in the child’s name, this is the first serious warning sign.
  • Technical login problems. The child reports being logged out of the account, passwords suddenly stop working, or SMS verification codes arrive that the child did not request.
  • Activity at unusual times. The account appears online at night, during school hours, or at times when the child is definitely not using their phone.
  • Unknown sessions. In Telegram settings (the “Devices” section), logins appear from unfamiliar devices (for example, an iPhone when the child uses Android) or from other cities.
  • Recent profile changes. The profile photo, name, or status suddenly changes — especially if this happened just hours or days earlier.
  • Problems with contacts. If you have added the child’s number to your phone book but Telegram shows that the number is “not in your contacts,” this may indicate account substitution (a fake duplicate account).

How to Protect a Child’s Account

Igor Bederov recommends that parents use a comprehensive approach:

  1. Enable two-factor authentication and set a cloud password (an additional password that is not sent via SMS). Even if scammers intercept the SIM card or verification code, they will not be able to log in without this password.
  2. Set up parental control on the child’s device (such as Kaspersky Safe Kids, Find My Kids, or similar tools). This allows parents to monitor app installations and messaging activity.
  3. Check devices regularly. About once a month, review the “Devices” section in Telegram together with the child and terminate any suspicious sessions.
  4. Have regular conversations. Explain what scam schemes look like (for example, offers to “rent out your account for money” or promises of “easy earnings”) and encourage the child to show such messages immediately.
  5. Create a family code word. If a request for money arrives — even from a familiar number — the child should call the sender and ask for the code word.

The expert emphasized that in the fight against cybercrime, the best protection is reducing carelessness and excessive trust.

In Brief

If a child’s friends complain about spam or strange messages sent in their name, if the account repeatedly logs out, unknown verification codes arrive, sessions appear from other cities, or the profile photo suddenly changes, there is a high probability that the account has been hacked. Parents can protect their child by enabling two-factor authentication with a cloud password, setting up parental controls, and regularly checking active devices in Telegram. Most importantly, maintaining open communication and teaching children to recognize scam schemes is essential. According to data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, more than 100,000 Russian teenagers have already become victims of schemes involving the “rental” of accounts for fraudulent call centers.