In a stunning development that has rocked the crypto world, the notorious shadow network known as Haowang Guarantee has vanished — along with an estimated $27 billion laundered through its operations. The network operated in the murky corners of blockchain finance, exploiting encrypted platforms like Telegram to run massive scams under the guise of legitimate crypto activity.
The collapse followed a public blockchain investigation that revealed the true scale of Haowang’s operations. Telegram acted swiftly, purging thousands of scam accounts, erasing chats, schemes, and even Haowang-branded NFTs from existence overnight. What initially appeared to be a darknet-level crackdown turned out to be something far more significant: a disruption of one of the main underground pipelines for USDT laundering.
This incident has exposed a troubling reality — that even encrypted messaging apps, once considered relatively safe, are now deeply infiltrated by cybercriminal networks. Telegram, in particular, has become a hub not just for communication but for manipulation, exploitation, and financial deception.
A critical issue lies with Telegram’s allowance of airdrop bots, which are widely used in the crypto community. While these bots are ostensibly created to distribute tokens to users, they’ve evolved into tools for long-term deception. Communities are encouraged to mine, farm, and engage for months or even years, only to be left rug-pulled when the project vanishes — a scheme eerily similar to Haowang’s model.
There are growing concerns that these scams are not merely the work of isolated bad actors, but are tacitly enabled through high-profile partnerships, especially with entities tied to the TON blockchain ecosystem. Critics argue these alliances resemble corporate bribery more than strategic collaboration, casting a shadow over the platform’s integrity.
Telegram now faces mounting pressure to refine its protocols and strengthen its defenses.
Preventing the misuse of bots — especially those associated with financial incentives is no longer optional. The Haowang scandal is a wake-up call not just for the app’s developers, but for the entire crypto ecosystem, which must confront the reality of shadow networks and the platforms that enable them.
