Avoiding Fake Admins and Experts in any: real experience from chats

A recent incident involved a scammer impersonating administrator Daria. Key indicators of a scammer include: they contact you first, claim to offer paid services, or recommend 'advisors' via private messages. The real administrator Daria never initiates contact, has no other accounts, and does not provide paid services. Always use the chat's pinned messages to initiate contact with administration or experts. Report suspicious profiles to the security administrator (Daria in this case) with all details to help block them.

Scammers create 'twin' profiles visually similar to legitimate experts. Always verify usernames carefully, only contact experts listed in pinned messages, and avoid clicking links or responding to direct messages from unknown 'helpers.' If an expert asks for more money than initially agreed upon, or quickly deletes messages, it's a strong indicator of fraud. Verify contacts with official security administrators if unsure.

Key guidelines: 1. Legitimate administrators or experts will never initiate private messages first. 2. Any unsolicited private messages offering services or recommendations from "administration" are likely scams. 3. Users should immediately block such individuals. 4. Never send prepayments. 5. If unsure, users should forward suspicious messages to the actual community administrator for verification. The administrator will confirm if the sender is known and legitimate. For example, 'Dasha' in this community never writes first.

These scams often occur in the evening after potentially being targeted earlier in the day.