Scams, bot farms, and data leaks: how Pavel Durov’s inner circle makes money on Telegram and TON
Journalists published an investigation by the author Ghost In The Block about a large-scale leak of personal data in projects linked to Pavel Durov, as well as bot farms, hackers, and scam schemes inside the Telegram and TON ecosystem.
The text undermines Telegram’s public image as a platform of “freedom and privacy.” According to the findings, a circle of developers and intermediaries close to Durov sells fake traffic, operates bot farms, and cashes out funds under the cover of crypto projects.
One of the key figures named in the investigation is Ramzan Shahbiyev (nickname Ram, @grozny), a developer close to Durov with access to internal chats and informal decision-making within Telegram. His identity was established through leaks: Ram’s early accounts were linked to a regular mobile phone number.
Shahbiyev is a native of Grozny who, just a few years ago, was looking for a job as an ordinary programmer. After growing closer to Durov, he quickly became embedded in Telegram’s crypto infrastructure: registering domains linked to bot farming, developing bots, administering chats, and becoming an informal intermediary “through whom issues are resolved.”
The material also documents joint trips, gaming activities, private mentions, and other points of intersection between Durov and Shahbiyev. The authors stress that it is precisely such figures who sustain the shadow economy around Telegram and TON, which is masked by rhetoric about free speech and independence.
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