Scammers exploit Telegram ad system as MON token prepares for its highly anticipated launch
The team behind Monad, an emerging layer-1 blockchain network, has issued a strong warning to its community after fake Telegram ads appeared in the project’s official announcement channel — just hours before the long-awaited airdrop event.
In a statement shared on X, Monad co-founder Keone Hon alerted users that malicious actors had purchased Telegram ads that appeared inside the official channel, mimicking the project’s upcoming token claim portal. The warning underscores the growing sophistication of scams targeting crypto communities during major token launches.
“Crazy that Telegram will push content directly into a channel that otherwise only contains content from one party,” Hon wrote, expressing concern over how external advertisements made it into what is typically a secure communication space.
The Monad airdrop is set to open at 1:00 p.m. UTC on Tuesday, drawing widespread attention from crypto traders and early adopters. Hon urged users to “triple-verify before doing anything” and reminded the community that there is no need to act with urgency, as the claim portal will remain open for three weeks.
The warning comes as Monad’s yet-to-launch MON token trades on Hyperliquid’s perpetual futures market at around $0.07, suggesting a fully diluted valuation (FDV) of approximately $7 billion. The early market activity reflects strong investor anticipation for Monad’s EVM-compatible, high-speed blockchain, which reportedly supports 10,000 transactions per second with near-instant finality.
Monad claims to have made significant progress in solving the blockchain trilemma — achieving scalability, security, and decentralization simultaneously — a challenge that has limited many existing networks.
The incident also highlights weaknesses in Telegram’s ad screening system. The fake advertisements clearly violated Telegram’s own ad policies, which prohibit phishing, deceptive content, and the promotion of fraudulent services.
While Telegram’s rules are explicit, the Monad case exposes a gap in ad vetting, raising broader concerns about security on social platforms used by crypto projects during high-profile launches.
Disclaimer
This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Cryptocurrency trading involves risk and may result in financial loss.