A Telegram channel styling itself “Black Swan” has been reported for pushing a pre-listing token branded like Farcaster — ticker $FCR — with huge percentage promises and fake-looking exchange “listing” screenshots. Access was closed; people arrived through ads on channels they already trusted. That social proof is part of the bait.
According to reports tied to that pitch, buyers were steered to a decentralised pool and a contract that behaves like a honeypot: purchases go through, chart screenshots look busy, but selling is blocked or taxed at roughly 100%, so ordinary holders cannot exit while operators can.
Anyone can deploy a lookalike ticker; a familiar project name in the channel title does not make the contract that project. Research on Telegram “pump” groups finds the same bait-and-trap design again and again.
Before you approve a swap, paste the contract into an independent honeypot / sell-simulation checker and read whether a sell would succeed and at what tax. A clean result is only a snapshot — owners can change rules later. If the channel disables comments, bans screenshots, or rushes you “before listing”, you already have enough signal. More on the mechanics sits in honeypot tokens.
Never send the promoters gas money, seed phrases or “whitelist fees”. Keep the contract address and chat logs if you need to report the channel.
If this pattern matches something you’ve been offered, start at Get help. If someone is already pitching “recovery”, read Fake recovery before you pay another fee.
This article is for general information only. It is not legal or financial advice. Details change. If you have lost money, contact your bank or card issuer and use the routes on the help pages.