Insisted on WhatsApp, Telegram, or Signal

• 'Add me on WhatsApp' comes before any real back-and-forth.
• They act hurt or impatient when you'd rather keep chatting where you are.
• A job recruiter or seller who only communicates through Telegram, never email or the platform.
• Group chats full of strangers celebrating profits or payouts, run from a messaging app.

Encrypted messaging apps are great for privacy and terrible for accountability. Nobody moderates them, phone numbers are easy to buy in bulk, and an account can vanish the moment someone gets suspicious. Scripts that involve dozens of people, like fake investment groups or task-job teams, need a place to run that no platform can shut down. WhatsApp and Telegram are that place.

• Ask why. A genuine person, seller, or recruiter can usually explain, and won't mind waiting.
• If you do switch, keep your guard up for the next asks: money, codes, links, an 'investment'.
• Never send money, gift cards, or crypto to someone you only know through a messaging app. If you already did, here's what to do next.
• Report the original profile or listing where you first met them.

More in the tips: Dating and new online friends.