October 11, 2026

4.5M in Telegram Stars through "pay and refund". What anyone selling for Stars should check

According to UnbiasedCryptoNews, one user ran a pay-then-refund loop in a Telegram bot for almost two months and generated about $4.5M worth of Stars. Around $1.5M was cashed out, partly into rare Plush Pepe gift NFTs, before Telegram blocked gift transfers. Telegram hasn't commented on these figures.

HOW IT'S POSSIBLE

Refunds are a normal part of Stars. Under Telegram's rules, a bot owner can refund any payment, Stars bought through Apple or Google can be charged back, and after a refund Telegram debits Stars from balances. Goods are delivered in seconds, while a payment can be reversed for weeks. That gap is the whole attack.

WE CHECKED OUR OWN BOT

We sell checks for Stars too. Checks were credited only after a confirmed payment, and one payment was never counted twice. But the bot didn't handle refunds: whatever a reversed payment bought stayed with the buyer. Fixed: on a refund we now take back unused checks, subscription days and referral payouts.

CHECKLIST FOR BOT OWNERS

• deliver only after successful_payment, never at the pre_checkout_query step
• handle the refund message (refunded_payment) and take back what was delivered
• one payment ID = one delivery
• hold costly or transferable goods (gifts, NFTs) longer: earned Stars only unlock for withdrawal after 21 days anyway

WHERE THE TRAIL STAYS

Upgraded gifts can be withdrawn as NFTs on TON and sold for crypto. Buying a gift or NFT from a stranger? Check their wallet first.

🔎 Check an address: https://amlconsensus.com/en