Buying Telegram Stars safely: how to spot scams

Updated 30 Oct 2026

Short answer: Real Telegram Stars only ever arrive in your Telegram Stars balance, and you never need to give anyone your M-Pesa PIN, your Telegram login code or your password to get them. Walk away from anyone who asks you to send M-Pesa to a personal number first, offers free or half-price Stars, or rushes you. With Oya Stars you pay only through the M-Pesa prompt on your own phone, after checking the amount.

Where real Stars come from

Only Telegram creates Stars. It sells them in the Telegram app (through Google Play or the App Store), through @PremiumBot and on Fragment. A reseller such as Oya Stars buys Stars from Telegram's platforms and has them sent to your username. However you buy them, they appear in your Stars balance in Telegram, which you can see when you send a gift or pay in a bot. Nobody can "generate" Stars, and nobody needs to log in to your account to deliver them.

Warning signs of a scam

"Send the money first" to a personal number. A seller in a group, a chat or on social media asks you to send M-Pesa to a phone number or a till they type out, and promises the Stars after. Once the money is sent, they disappear.
Asking for your PIN, login code or password. Your M-Pesa PIN goes only on the M-Pesa prompt on your own phone. Your Telegram login code and two-step password are for you alone: anyone who has them can take over your account and spend your Stars.
Free Stars, generators and "unlimited Stars" apps. These are sites, bots or modified Telegram apps that ask you to log in with your phone number, or to pay a small "activation fee". They steal accounts or money.
Prices far below everyone else's. Every honest seller pays Telegram for the Stars it sells. An offer at half the usual price is a trap.
Pressure. "Only 5 minutes left", "last package", "pay now or lose it". A real shop lets you take your time.
"I sent you money by mistake." You get an SMS that looks like M-Pesa, then a call asking you to send the money back. The SMS is often fake, or the scammer reverses the original payment after you refund it.
Fake support and lookalike accounts. Someone messages you first, saying they're support for a shop, Telegram or Safaricom, often with a name or picture copied from the real one, and asks for a code or a payment to "fix" your order.
A "verification" or "unlock" fee from a person. Telegram's real login fee appears only inside the official app and is paid through Google Play or the App Store, never to a person or a bot.

How a safe purchase with Oya Stars works

You start it. You open our bot with the button on this website and choose what to buy. We sell only in the bot, never through chats or groups.
You see the price before you pay. The bot shows Your Order: how many Stars, who gets them and the price in KES.
You pay only through the M-Pesa prompt that appears on your own phone. Check that the amount matches your order, then enter your PIN on the prompt. There is no number to send money to, and money sent any other way can't be matched to an order.
You get a record. The bot confirms with Payment Received and an order number, and lists every order under My Orders.
You can check the Stars arrived in your Stars balance, usually within seconds. If we can't deliver, we refund the amount you paid to the number that paid.
Nobody from Oya Stars will ask you for your M-Pesa PIN, your Telegram login code or money outside the bot. Our support account is @apefix, linked at the bottom of every page.

If you've already been caught

Sent M-Pesa to a scammer? Don't send more to "unlock" or "refund" it. Call Safaricom or forward the M-Pesa confirmation message to 456 to ask for a reversal, as soon as you can.
Got a fake M-Pesa message? Check your real M-Pesa balance and statement before doing anything: a genuine message comes from M-PESA, not from a phone number. Forward the fake one to 333 so Safaricom can block the sender.
Shared your Telegram login code? In Telegram, open Settings › Devices and tap Terminate All Other Sessions. Then turn on Two-Step Verification in Settings › Privacy and Security.
Report the account in Telegram: open its profile, tap the three dots and choose Report. You can also report the fraud to the police.

Questions

How do I know I'm using the real Oya Stars?

Open the bot with the button on oyastars.co.ke rather than a link someone sent you. The real bot never asks for your PIN or a login code, and you pay only through the M-Pesa prompt on your phone.

Are free Telegram Stars real?

Only when they come from Telegram itself: for example, a channel's Star Giveaway, where Telegram picks the winners and sends the Stars. A site, bot or app that "generates" free Stars is a scam.

A seller says they need my login code to deliver Stars. Is that normal?

No. Stars are sent to your username; nobody needs to log in to your account. Anyone asking for your code wants to take over your account.

Someone sent me M-Pesa "by mistake" and wants it back. What should I do?

Don't send money back yourself. Check your M-Pesa balance, and ask them to request a reversal through Safaricom (by forwarding their message to 456 or calling Safaricom).

Can I buy Stars from someone who resells them in a group?

It's risky: if they take your money and disappear, there is no order and nobody to refund you. Buy where you pay through an M-Pesa prompt and get an order number.

Buy Stars the safe way

Buy Telegram Stars in our Telegram bot and pay through the M-Pesa prompt on your own phone. The Stars arrive automatically, usually within seconds.

Buy Stars with M-Pesa

Sources: Safaricom, Tips for staying safe and Fake M-PESA messages; Telegram, Telegram Stars FAQ. Oya Stars is independent and not part of Telegram or Safaricom.