Strange Conversation With a “Crypto Expert” on Telegram

I wanted to share something that happened a few days ago because I’m wondering if anyone else has experienced something similar.

I joined a public Telegram group that mainly discussed cryptocurrency news. I didn’t post much—just read through the conversations. A few hours later, someone messaged me privately.

The person introduced themselves as a crypto analyst and said they’d noticed I was “serious about investing.” That was a bit odd because I hadn’t even talked about investing in the group.

We chatted for a while. The conversation wasn’t pushy at all, which honestly made it seem more believable.

Then they started mentioning a platform they claimed to use. They said several members from the group were already making good returns there.

I asked a simple question:

“If the platform is so good, why isn’t everyone discussing it openly in the group instead of through private messages?”

After that, the conversation changed completely.

The replies became shorter, and the person kept trying to move the discussion back to opening an account.

That was enough for me to stop replying.

Maybe it was nothing, but I always become cautious when someone prefers private conversations over public ones, especially when money is involved.

I’m interested to know if this is becoming a common tactic.

Do legitimate crypto communities usually encourage private messages like this, or is it something you also treat as a warning sign?

I’d like to hear other members’ experiences before assuming anything.