A number of users have taken to X (formerly Twitter) to complain their phone numbers have been banned from the encrypted messaging app Telegram, despite never using it.
According to Cybernews, some of them have even posted their phone numbers on social media asking for assistance.
"Hey, my telegram number got banned for no reason. I need help asap," a user wrote on X.
"I'm trying to use my mobile phone number. But Telegram says it's banned. Please help. I didn't use any third party applications and not using any wrong thing. So please unban me," another user said.
One more user wrote, "Hello telegram team I m using telegram since 3 years. I am enjoying your all services and I appreciate your work towards your user. I'm trying to use my 2nd mobile phone number to create 2nd telegram account to use But Telegram says it's banned. Please help..@telegram."
Moreover, the report mentioned that a user asked some of their friends if they had joined Telegram after receiving multiple notifications on the app -- they replied "no".
"In the past 48 hours, I got numerous notifications inside Telegram saying that 'Friend x has joined Telegram'. After asking my friends if they really signed up for Telegram, they said no," a user was quoted as saying.
After discovering that none of the people had actually registered for a Telegram account, the user became curious and asked one of their friends to join the platform for real.
"But they couldn't and instead received an error in the app saying that their phone number is banned," the user said.
More of their friends were allegedly banned on Telegram, so they reported the issue to the platform, claiming "a hacking incident", the report said.
However, it is not confirmed why users are getting banned on Telegram.