Telegram’s Digital Gold Rush: Rare Usernames & Gifts Now Fetch $100K+

Forget blue-chip stocks—Telegram’s virtual collectibles are minting crypto-style fortunes overnight. The messaging app’s auctioned usernames and digital gifts now command six-figure sums, turning vanity into vaults.

How? Scarcity meets speculation. Just like NFT mania in 2021, Telegram’s limited-edition assets trigger FOMO among crypto whales and collectors. No utility? No problem—since when did that stop a bubble?

Behind the hype: A perfect storm of Telegram’s 800M-strong userbase, blockchain integration, and that timeless human urge to flex. TradFi analysts scoff (‘digital tulips!’), but good luck explaining that to the anon who flipped @Storm for $200K.

One hedge fund manager muttered, ‘At least they’re not levered.’ Touché.

Telegram NFT gifts update

Gift thieves and extortionists set up shop on Telegram after the platform’s first update in 2025, which went live on January 2. One of the features added was tools that added more value and functionality to digital items on the platform. This, per CEO Durov, has attracted a number of fraudsters.

The new features allow users to convert Telegram gifts like digital Santa hats, cakes, and other themed tokens into blockchain-backed NFTs via Telegram Stars

“Gifts you receive on Telegram are now able to be upgraded to collectibles,” Telegram said in a blog post. “Collectible gifts have special attributes and can be transferred to other users or auctioned on NFT marketplaces.”

To convert these items, users must connect a TON (The Open Network) crypto wallet. Telegram also charges a fee to cover blockchain transaction costs.

Telegram tried to improve its security by enabling third-party account verification and improving global search features. The company might have seen these changes as enough to improve user experience, but according to Durov, alongside other security analysts, adding monetary value to VIRTUAL items is an invitation to cybercriminals.

SurfShark warning preceded Durov’s findings

In March, Cybersecurity firm SurfShark had talked about how fraudsters manipulated gift-giving features on digital platforms for illicit gain. In its research, “gift card scams” were executed by bad actors posing as employers, friends, or family members to convince victims to purchase gift cards and send them the codes.

In many cases, victims are told they’re buying gift cards for job training or emergencies, with the promise of reimbursement that never comes. Once the code is shared, the scammer cashes out the card’s value.

SurfShark also flagged blackmail tactics tied to personal data and private images. These threats are an escalation of the so-called “romance scams,” in which a scammer builds trust before coercing victims to share intimate photos or videos. That material is then used as leverage, with the threat of public exposure unless a ransom is paid.

Other extortion techniques involve fabricated claims that the scammer already possesses sensitive information, obtained through a data breach or surveillance. Victims are given a tight deadline that could cause them to panic and pay a ransom hastily.

In other news, the Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) last Friday ordered an immediate shutdown of Telegram across the country, citing the platform’s use in money laundering and online scams.

In a public statement, the NTA said it had directed all internet service providers and telecom networks to block access to Telegram without delay.

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