Telegram links: what t.me/+, addlist and c/ mean and how to check a chat before you join

Georgian Telegram links turn up everywhere: in Facebook posts, in comments, in lists on websites. A similar-looking address can open a public channel, invite you into a private group or start a bot. Once you can read the address, you’ll know where you’re going before you tap — and you’ll spot the link that’s really a scam.

1 / 4What the address tells you

1. 01
   t.me/name

   A public channel, group, person or bot. The name uses only Latin letters, digits and underscores, and Telegram doesn’t care about upper or lower case. Chats like this also show up in Telegram search.

2. 02
   t.me/+… or t.me/joinchat/…

   An invite to a private group or channel. joinchat is the older format and works the same way. The admin can revoke the link at any time and it stops working instantly — which is why old lists are full of dead links.

3. 03
   t.me/addlist/…

   A whole folder in one link. One tap adds the folder and every chat in it. If the creator adds a new chat later, you’ll be offered to join that one too.

4. 04
   t.me/name/123

   A specific post in a public channel or group; the number at the end is the message ID. A link like this takes you straight to the post, no subscription needed.

5. 05
   t.me/c/…

   A post in a private channel or group. It only opens for members: if someone offers you a link like this to see “leaked” content, you won’t see a thing without joining.

6. 06
   t.me/bot?start=…

   A bot that receives an extra word when it starts — often a referral code that tells the bot who invited you. That alone isn’t dangerous; what the bot asks you for next might be.

2 / 4How to check a chat before you join

1. 07
   Card first, then join

   Telegram doesn’t drop you straight into a chat: it shows a card first — the name, member count and description. Only tap Join once you’ve read it.

2. 08
   A channel in your browser, no account

   You can see a public channel’s latest posts without the app: add s/ after t.me — t.me/s/name. That shows whether the channel is alive, when it last posted and what it posts about.

3. 09
   Check the address, not the name

   Anyone can give a chat any name — even a well-known outlet’s. The address, though, is unique. Scammers change a known address by one character: an l for an I, an o for a 0, or an underscore tacked on the end.

4. 10
   SCAM and FAKE

   Telegram labels some channels and groups itself: SCAM — “likely a scam,” FAKE — “many users reported it as fake.” Don’t join chats like these, and don’t pass their links on.

5. 11
   The blue check

   Telegram gives verified channels a blue check. An “official” channel for a big brand or outlet without one is a red flag — though plenty of genuine channels don’t have it either.

3 / 4Paid access: what’s legit and what’s a trap

1. 12
   Subscriptions with Stars

   Since August 14, 2024, a channel owner can create an invite link with a monthly fee in Telegram Stars. Payment happens inside Telegram, once every 30 days, and you can cancel the subscription yourself.

2. 13
   A transfer to a card

   If you’re asked to send money to a personal card, a wallet or in crypto to get into a private chat, the money goes outside Telegram. If the link doesn’t work, no one can get it back for you.

3. 14
   “Free links”

   A regular invite link is free anyway: the admin simply shares it. When a “free link” costs you your phone number, a code or an app install, you’re paying in some other way.

4. 15
   Your login code — never share it

   Telegram itself says your login code should never be shared with anyone, “including other services and apps.” A bot or “admin” asking for the code is trying to take over your account.

4 / 4Your own link: how to make it and what it tracks

1. 16
   A public username

   If you want people to find your channel through search, give it a short public username: a Georgian word in Latin letters, spelled the way people type it into search.

2. 17
   Links with an expiry date and a limit

   Since February 23, 2021, admins can create extra links that expire after a set time, after a set number of uses, or both — say, a one-day link for an event or a 50-person link for your first guests.

3. 18
   Who came through which link

   Every link shows who joined through it. Give each place its own link — one in your Instagram bio, another in a Facebook post, a third on your shop window — and you’ll see where your members come from. You can also name a link; only admins see the name.

4. 19
   QR code

   Any invite link can be turned into a QR code: print it on your shop window, a menu or a business card.

5. 20
   Join by request

   You can make a link require admin approval: people send a request and you decide whether to let them in. A simple defense against spammers, especially in a group where everyone can post.

6. 21
   “Share to Telegram”

   A t.me/share?url=… link opens the chat picker with your link and text already filled in. That’s how websites build a “Share to Telegram” button.

✓The bottom line

A Telegram link tells you where it goes: t.me/name — an open chat, t.me/+ — a private one, addlist — a folder, c/ — members only. Before joining, read the card, check the address and never pay for a chat outside Telegram. And give your own channel different links for different places — that’s how you’ll learn where people come from.

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