Ad Spam Hidden in Photo and Video Captions in Telegram Groups

An innocent-looking photo can carry an advert in its caption or in the picture itself. Here is how to handle media-based spam.

The two forms

• Caption spam: a normal photo with a caption such as "Earn daily, join @..." Text filters that only check plain messages may miss captions.
• Image text spam: the advert is part of the picture – a screenshot of "profits", a QR code or a domain written on the image – so there is no text to filter at all.

Restrict media for newcomers

In group permissions, limit Photos, Videos and Files for new members for the first days. Most media spam comes from accounts that joined minutes earlier.

Watch these signals

• Media posted as the very first message of an account.
• Screenshots of balances, trades or payment confirmations.
• QR codes, especially with words like "scan to claim".
• The same image posted by several accounts.

Removal routine

Delete the media, ban the sender, and use delete all from this user. If the image contained a QR code or wallet address, warn members briefly not to scan or pay.

Let a bot catch captions

Xiabao is a free anti-ad bot for Telegram group owners that removes advertising and spam, including captioned media ads, automatically. Add @xiabaotg_bot as an admin with delete and ban rights and it handles the repetitive cases for you.