How to report a Telegram group, channel, user or bot — every official route
To report a Telegram group or channel, open it, tap its name to reach the profile, choose Report, and pick the reason that fits — scam, spam, violence or illegal goods. To flag a single post, long-press the message and tap Report. For illegal public content, also email [email protected] with the link and dated screenshots.
Which Telegram surfaces can you report — group, channel, user or bot?
Anything public is reportable: a channel, a group or supergroup, a user's public account, a bot, a sticker or GIF set, and any single message inside them. The report button lives in the same place each time — open the thing, tap its name to reach the profile, then choose Report. The one surface Telegram won't act on is a private one-to-one chat. Its FAQ is blunt about the split: it processes "legitimate requests to take down illegal public content (e.g., sticker sets, bots, groups and channels)," while "private groups and chats… are private amongst their participants. We do not process any requests related to them." Match what you're seeing to the right entry point:
| What you're reporting | How to open the report | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Public channel | Open it → tap the channel name → Report → pick a reason | Flags the whole channel for a moderator |
| Group / supergroup | Open it → tap the group title → Report | Or report one member's specific message instead |
| User / account | Open their profile → menu (⋮) → Report | Public content only; a private chat has no takedown route |
| Bot | Open the bot → tap its name → Report | For a phishing bot, also email [email protected] |
| A single message or post | Tap and hold the message → Report → pick a reason | Points a reviewer at the exact rule-breaking content |
Which report reason should you pick for a scammer or spam?
Pick the reason that names the actual breach, because a vague flag gives the reviewer nothing to act on. The in-app picker offers reasons such as Spam, Scam, Violence, Pornography, Child Abuse, Copyright and Illegal Goods, and the exact wording shifts a little between app versions. Here's how the common cases map:
- Scammer or crypto fraud — choose Scam (or Fraud); for a clear financial crime, add an email to [email protected] with the wallet address or payment details.
- Spam, mass-adds or link-blasting — choose Spam; this is the route for a group you were dragged into or a bot flooding chats.
- A fraudulent or impersonating account — message Telegram's @NoToScam bot, the dedicated route for someone posing as you, your project or a brand.
- A phishing bot or malicious link — report the bot, then email [email protected] with its @username.
Naming the reason and the rule is what turns a report into action — it's the difference between "this scammer is bad" and a case a moderator can confirm. If you're unsure what behaviour actually crosses the line, our breakdown of what actually triggers a ban walks through it, and our Telegram reporting solutions screen every case for a genuine breach first.
How do you report illegal content or an illegal Telegram group?
Illegal content gets its own routes on top of the in-app button, and Telegram treats it as the priority tier. For a public channel or group selling counterfeits, stolen data or other unlawful goods, report it in-app and email [email protected] with the t.me link, the @username and dated screenshots. Child sexual abuse material has a dedicated automated address, [email protected], listed on Telegram's moderation page — and it should always go to your national authorities and a hotline as well, never into a waiting queue. If the "illegal" part is that a channel is republishing your copyrighted work, that's not an abuse report at all but a DMCA takedown sent to [email protected]. Pin the route to the harm: abuse email for unlawful goods, the child-safety address plus police for CSAM, a DMCA notice for theft of your own content.
Is there a Telegram abuse report form, or just the Report button?
There is no classic web "abuse report form" on Telegram — and that trips a lot of people up. Searching for one often lands you on telegram.org/deactivate, which simply redirects to a page for deleting your own account, not for reporting someone else's. The real toolkit is the in-app Report button plus a short list of email addresses and bots, each for a different job:
| Route | Use it for |
|---|---|
| In-app Report button | The front line for any public channel, group, user, bot or message |
| [email protected] | Illegal public content, and appeals for a removed bot or sticker set |
| @NoToScam | Someone impersonating you or your brand, and scam accounts |
| [email protected] | Copyright — content that copies your own work |
| [email protected] | Child-abuse material (also report to NCMEC/IWF and police) |
| @SpamBot | Checking or appealing limits on your own account |
So when a guide promises a magic "abuse form," what it really means is one of these. Email routes want the same evidence the in-app flow does: links, @usernames and dated screenshots.
Can you report a Telegram group to the police?
Yes, and for a real-world crime you should — reporting to Telegram and reporting to law enforcement are separate, parallel steps. If you lost money to a scam group, received a credible threat, or found child-safety material, take it to the authorities directly. In the United States, file with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov; in the United Kingdom, use Action Fraud; and route child sexual abuse material to the NCMEC CyberTipline. Telegram cooperates with valid legal process: since updating its privacy policy in September 2024, it states that on a valid judicial order naming a suspect in a criminal case, it "may disclose your IP address and phone number to the relevant authorities." Keep your evidence intact — the t.me links, timestamps, screenshots and any wallet addresses — because investigators will ask for exactly that.
Is reporting a Telegram group anonymous — will the admin know?
From the group's side, yes: Telegram doesn't show a channel or its admins who filed a report, so a single honest report won't put your name in front of the people you flagged. Two caveats are worth holding in mind, though. First, anonymity to the target is not the same as zero accountability — coordinated, identical reports from linked accounts are detected and discounted, and the accounts behind them can be limited. Second, your own data isn't sealed from the law: as the police section above notes, a valid legal order can compel Telegram to share your IP and phone number. None of that should stop you reporting a genuine violation; it's a reason to report truthfully rather than to manufacture a pile-on. If you're weighing whether a report could rebound on you, our page on whether a channel takedown can backfire covers the edge cases in more depth.
Why won't reporting a channel more times get it banned faster?
Because Telegram bans on confirmed breach, not on report count. Its moderators decide whether content crossed a line, and they're tuned to spot a sudden burst of identical complaints and treat the burst itself as abuse — so the volume you hoped would help becomes the signal that gets it ignored. The scale here is real: Telegram says it blocked 15.4 million groups and channels carrying harmful content in 2024 (Telegram, moderation report). Founder Pavel Durov put it plainly in September 2024, writing that the platform takes down "millions of harmful posts and channels every day." What gets a channel shut down is a clear, documented violation — and, where there are many real victims, separate genuine reports, not one person firing the same complaint fifty times. That's also why a paid mass report bot can't force a ban, and why what a takedown actually achieves depends on the evidence, not the clicks. Bring us the details of a genuine case and our reporting desk will file it the way Telegram acts on.
Sources
- Telegram FAQ — Report buttons; takedowns cover public content only, not private chats; @NoToScam; [email protected]
- Telegram Moderation — 15.4M groups/channels blocked in 2024; [email protected] for child-abuse material
- Telegram Privacy Policy (Sept 2024) — IP and phone number may be disclosed on a valid judicial order
- FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) — report online fraud in the US
- NCMEC CyberTipline — report child sexual exploitation
FAQ
Can you report a Telegram user you are not in a group with?
Yes, if their content is public. Open the user's profile, tap the menu and choose Report, or report one of their public messages. Telegram won't act on a private one-to-one chat, though, because it doesn't process requests about private content. For an illegal public account, email [email protected] with the @username and dated screenshots.
How do you report a Telegram bot?
Open the bot, tap its name to reach the profile, choose Report and pick the reason. A bot is public content, so it's reportable like a channel or group. If it's built to phish logins or drain wallets, also email [email protected] with its @username and screenshots so a moderator can review and remove it.
Is reporting a Telegram group anonymous?
In practice yes — Telegram doesn't tell the group or its admins who filed a report. Two caveats matter, though: coordinated identical reports get detected and discounted, and under Telegram's 2024 privacy policy your own IP and phone number can be disclosed to authorities on a valid legal order. So report honestly.
Can you report a Telegram group to the police?
Yes, and you should when a real-world crime is involved — fraud you lost money to, threats, or child safety. In the US use the FBI's IC3 at ic3.gov; in the UK use Action Fraud. Report the group to Telegram as well, and keep links, timestamps and screenshots for investigators.
How many reports does it take to get a Telegram channel banned?
There's no number. Telegram bans a channel when a moderator confirms a genuine breach, not when a report counter hits a threshold. Fifty copied complaints from linked accounts are discounted as coordinated abuse. One clear report with the link, the rule broken and dated screenshots does far more than volume.
Does Telegram tell you the outcome of your report?
No. Telegram sends reporters no verdict and no confirmation. You'll usually just notice the channel is gone, shows a SCAM or FAKE label, or can no longer be found in search. Silence doesn't mean nothing happened — feedback simply isn't part of how Telegram handles reports.