What to pin in your exchange's Telegram and Discord

Pin three things: who your real admins are, that support will never DM first, and the one official link where customers get help. That message won't remove a single fake account, but it cuts how many people believe them, which is the number that matters while takedowns run.

It's the cheapest control in the whole fake support problem, and one of the most often skipped. Here's a template you can copy, and why each line is there. It's one part of how crypto exchanges stop fake support scams.

The template

Welcome to the official [Brand] community.

Our admins are @name1, @name2 and @name3. Anyone else claiming to be an admin is not.

Our team will never DM you first. We will never ask for your password, seed phrase or 2FA code, and we will never ask you to move funds or "validate" a wallet.

Need help? Use [official support link] only.

Every official account and link is listed at [verify page link].

Why each line is there

• Admins by username. Display names can be copied. Usernames can't. Listing usernames gives members something to check against.

• "Never DM first." It's the one rule that catches almost every fake admin. Simple enough to remember under pressure.

• The specific asks. Naming password, seed phrase, 2FA and "validate" means the scam's exact wording sets off the alarm.

• One support link. If there's one official route, every other route is suspect.

• The verify page. One place to check everything. See how to build a verify page.

Where to put it

• Telegram: pinned in the group, in the group description, and in the welcome message for new members.

• Discord: in your rules channel, in onboarding, and pinned in your support channel.

• X: in your support account's bio and in a pinned post.

Use the same wording everywhere. Consistency is part of what makes a fake look wrong.

Keep it true

Update the admin list the day someone joins or leaves the team. A stale pinned list is worse than none, because it teaches people the list can't be trusted. Give one person the job of keeping it current.

Honestly, I like this one because it needs no new tools. It needs someone to own it.

Frequently asked questions

Do pinned warnings really reduce fake support scams?

They don't remove fakes. They reduce how many people act on them, especially new members, who are the main target.

Should the message name the specific scams?

Yes. Naming the exact asks, like "validate your wallet", makes the real scam message sound wrong the moment someone reads it.

Pinned messages handle the trust side. For the removal side, see fake support account takedowns, or run a free scan to see what's live today.

Nikita Varabei is co-founder and CEO of ChainPatrol. He spends most of his week with fraud and trust and safety teams dealing with impersonation of their brands.