How to Tell a Real Bot from a Fake One
Popular shops in Telegram almost always get lookalikes: the same avatar, a similar name, the same buttons. They all want one thing: to take your money or log in to your account. The check takes a minute, and it's worth doing every time a bot opens from a link you don't know.
Look at the username, not the name
Anyone can set a bot's name and avatar. Only the username is unique, the one that starts with @. Open the bot's profile and read it letter by letter.
- A bot's username always ends in "bot", and it can't be changed. So fakes differ by at least one character: "Bot" instead of "Robot", an extra underscore, a digit at the end.
- Sometimes the Latin letter "o" is swapped for a Cyrillic letter that looks identical. You can't tell them apart by eye, so it's safer to open the bot from a link on the official website or channel.
- Our bot is @BenefitStarsRobot. Any other username with a similar name has nothing to do with us.
Check where the link came from
The most common route to a fake is a link from the comments, an ad in someone else's chat, or a private message "from support". These are the reliable sources for our bot:
- this site, benefit.gg;
- the channel @BenefitCommunity;
- support at @BenefitSupportBot.
What scammers ask for
A real shop doesn't need access to your account. If a bot or a "manager" asks for anything from this list, it's a scam:
- a Telegram login code or a two-step verification password;
- a Steam password or a Steam Guard code;
- a money transfer to a personal card "to speed things up" or "for verification";
- downloading a file, installing an app or signing in through an unfamiliar page.
A Telegram login code must not be shared with anyone, even someone who says they work for Telegram. Real codes arrive only in the official "Telegram" service chat with the blue check mark, and with that code a person can sign in to your account.
How the real Benefit.gg works
- Stars and Premium are sent by @username, and Steam is topped up by login. No passwords or codes are needed.
- Payment happens inside the bot: first you top up your balance, then you buy. The price is visible before you confirm.
- If a purchase doesn't go through, the money returns to your bot balance by itself.
If you've already been caught
- If you gave away a login code: open "Settings" → "Devices" and end all sessions except your own. Turn on a cloud password (two-step verification) if you didn't have one.
- If you gave away your Steam password: change it and check that the email and phone number on the account haven't been changed.
- Report the fake bot: there is a "Report" option in its profile. Telegram asks you to send accounts that impersonate well-known services to @NoToScam.
- If the fake pretended to be us, send its username to @BenefitSupportBot so we can warn everyone else.