# Telegram Channel Hacked and Admin Removed? What to Do > Telegram channel hacked or your admin rights removed? How Malaysian owners recover the owner account, remove rogue admins and act before ownership moves. - URL: https://www.awarexone.com/research/telegram-channel-hacked-admin-removed - Author: Md Shariar Shanaz Shuvon, Founder & CEO, AwareXone - Published: 2026-10-05 - Topics: Telegram, Account recovery, Malaysia - Related service: Social media recovery hub: https://www.awarexone.com/all-types-of-social-media-problem-solutions ## Short answer Recover the owner's Telegram account first, because the owner controls admins, the name, the link and deletion. On any device still logged in, end unknown sessions in Settings, then Devices, and set your own 2-Step Verification password. Then remove admins you did not add. If ownership already moved, report it to Telegram support. Telegram decides. ## Summary - Whoever controls the channel owner's Telegram account controls the channel, so recovering that personal account comes before anything else. - On any device still logged in as the owner, end every unknown session under Settings then Devices, then set your own 2-Step Verification password. - Telegram blocks an ownership transfer from a session or a password less than 24 hours old, so a fresh hijack may not have moved the channel yet. - Once back in, remove admins you did not add, restore the name and link, and check Recent Actions for what changed. - If ownership has already moved, Telegram publishes no reclaim process, so report it through its support form and in-app Ask a Question, and never pay a channel recovery seller. - Telegram makes the final decision, and a channel that has been transferred or deleted may not come back. You open Telegram and your channel looks wrong. Posts you never wrote are going out to your subscribers, your admin badge has gone, or the channel name and link have changed. In BM people search this as "channel telegram kena hack" or "admin channel telegram dibuang". The short answer: a Telegram channel belongs to whichever personal account holds the owner role. Get that account back first, throw the intruder out of every session, and lock it with your own password. Only then can you clean up the channel itself. This guide explains how channel ownership works, the order to act in, the 24-hour window that often works in your favour, and what is left if the channel has already been moved. Last checked: 5 October 2026. ## How Do You Get a Hacked Telegram Channel Back? Telegram's [Channels FAQ](https://telegram.org/faq_channels) says the owner can change the channel's name, picture and link, add and remove administrators, and delete the channel completely. So the channel follows the owner's account. If you created the channel, recover your own Telegram account: on any device still logged in, open Settings, then "Devices", end every session you do not recognise, and turn on 2-Step Verification with a password only you know. Then remove any admin you did not appoint and put the name and link back. If someone else's account is now the owner, Telegram does not publish a process for reclaiming it; report it through its [support form](https://telegram.org/support) and in the app under Settings, then "Ask a Question". Nobody outside Telegram, including AwareXone, can move a channel back for you. ## Owner, Admin or Subscriber: Who Holds Your Channel Now? "Admin removed" can mean several different things. Your options depend on which role your account had, and which role the intruder has now. The exact screens vary by app version and platform, so match on the situation rather than the wording. *Common signs of a lost Telegram channel and the first step for each, at the time of writing.* | What you see | What it usually means | What to do first | | --- | --- | --- | | You still own the channel, but strange posts appear and an admin you do not know is listed | Someone got into an admin's account, or into yours, and is posting | Remove that admin, end unknown sessions on your account, then check every other admin | | You were an admin, not the owner, and your rights have gone | The owner removed you, or the owner's account was taken over | Contact the owner on another channel you trust; only the owner can restore you | | You are logged out of your own account, and the login screen asks for a password you never set | The intruder took your personal account and set their own 2-Step Verification | Follow our guide to a hacked Telegram account first, then come back to the channel | | You are still logged in somewhere, but the channel now names another account as owner | Ownership was transferred away from you | Report it to Telegram with proof of history; see the section on lost ownership | | The channel has disappeared from your chat list | You were removed, or the channel was deleted | Search the old link from another account to see whether it still exists | If you were only an admin, the channel was never yours in Telegram's system. The Channels FAQ says the owner sets each admin's rights, so reach the owner by phone, email or in person. ## First Hour: Take Back the Owner Account Everything starts with the personal Telegram account that owns the channel. Telegram's [FAQ](https://telegram.org/faq) puts it bluntly: whoever has the phone number has the account, and Telegram cannot help unless you have the number or a logged in device. Work through these steps on the device you trust most. 1. Open Settings, then "Devices" (on some versions, Privacy and Security, then "Active Sessions"). End every session you do not recognise. If in doubt, end all sessions except the one in your hand. 2. Open Settings, Privacy and Security, then 2-Step Verification. Set a password you have never used anywhere else, and add a recovery email you control. Telegram's FAQ says the phone number alone is then not enough to log in. 3. If 2-Step Verification is already on and you did not set it, Telegram's [two-factor documentation](https://core.telegram.org/api/srp) describes a reset requested from a logged in session, with a 7-day timer, or a recovery code sent to the recovery email if that email is yours. 4. Check the phone number on your profile, and confirm your SIM still makes calls and receives SMS. If it has stopped working, call your carrier and ask whether the SIM was replaced. 5. Do not log out of your last working device to start fresh. It may be your only way to end the intruder's sessions. If you are locked out of every device, the channel has to wait. Our step-by-step guide to [getting a hacked Telegram account back](https://www.awarexone.com/research/telegram-account-hacked-malaysia) covers the login form, the SIM and an intruder's password in detail. ## Why the 24-Hour Rule Can Save Your Channel Moving channel ownership is harder than posting in a channel. Telegram's developer documentation on [transferring ownership](https://core.telegram.org/api/channel) says the account must have a 2-Step Verification password set, and the password has to be entered to complete the transfer. The [error list for that transfer](https://core.telegram.org/method/messages.editChatCreator) adds two limits. A transfer fails if the password was changed less than 24 hours ago, or if the session making the request was created less than 24 hours ago. Telegram's two-factor page lists the same limits for every action that needs the password after login. - This is one reason an intruder sets their own 2-Step Verification password straight away: without one, they cannot move the channel at all. - If the hijack happened in the last day, ownership may not have moved yet. Ending their sessions now forces any new session they open to wait another 24 hours. - If they phished your existing password rather than setting a new one, only the session age protects you. End their sessions first, then change the password. > Note: **Watch for a pending handover.** Telegram's developer documentation says that when an owner leaves a channel or supergroup, an admin becomes owner after 7 days unless the old owner rejoins. For supergroups it describes a message to the old owner in the "Telegram" service chat with a button to rejoin. If you find such a message after a takeover, rejoin through it from your own account. ## Clean Up the Channel Once You Are Back In With the owner account secured, go through the channel itself. Telegram's [admin log documentation](https://core.telegram.org/api/recent-actions) says channels keep a log of recent admin actions, such as changes to settings or channel information. In the apps this is usually labelled "Recent Actions" in the channel's admin settings. Read it before you change anything, and screenshot what you find. 1. Open the channel's administrators list. Remove every admin you did not appoint, including any bots you did not add. 2. For each admin you keep, open their rights and switch off anything they do not need. Telegram's rights model includes a separate right to add new admins; give it to almost nobody. 3. Restore the channel name, picture and description. 4. Check the public link. If it was changed, set it back. If another channel has already taken the old link, you may not get it back; choose a new one and tell subscribers. 5. Revoke any invite links you did not create, if the channel is private. 6. Delete posts the intruder published. The Channels FAQ says a deleted channel message disappears for all subscribers. 7. Pin a short, calm post: the channel was compromised between two dates, ignore any links or payment requests posted then, and here is how to verify future announcements. ## What If the Hacker Already Took Ownership? This is the hardest case, and honesty matters here. At the time of writing, Telegram publishes no form or process for reclaiming a channel whose ownership has been transferred to another account. Its FAQ notes that support relies on volunteers. What you can still do is make one clear, well-evidenced report through the official routes: the [Telegram support form](https://telegram.org/support), and in the app under Settings, then "Ask a Question". Keep it factual and short. - The channel's public link and name, both old and new. - The phone number on the account that created the channel, and roughly when you created it. - When you lost access and what you saw: a new password, a strange session, a removed admin. - Screenshots of Recent Actions, the admin list and any service messages, with dates visible. - Proof of history that does not depend on the channel: the link printed on your website, invoices, older posts others forwarded, or announcements on your other accounts. On automatic handover, the picture is limited. A [Telegram blog update](https://telegram.org/blog/crafting-android-design-and-more) says that when a group owner leaves, ownership passes to an admin after one week, and its developer documentation describes the same 7-day handover for channels. Telegram's FAQ says that when an account is deleted, the channels it created are left without a creator, but admins keep their rights. If the intruder is an admin, deleting your own account would leave them in charge, so do not delete it in the hope of forcing anything. If a channel still under the intruder's control is now using your name to cheat people, that becomes an impersonation and removal problem. Our guide to [removing a Telegram scam channel that uses your brand](https://www.awarexone.com/research/remove-telegram-scam-channel-using-my-brand) covers the reporting routes. ## Channel Recovery Sellers and Fake Telegram Support Owners of large channels are a target for a second wave of scams. Within hours you may hear from "Telegram support", a "channel recovery agent" in a group, or someone offering to break back in, in English, BM or Chinese. - Telegram's FAQ names @SmsTelegram on X as its official account for login problems and says it has no other support accounts on social media. - Login codes arrive only by SMS or in the verified "Telegram" chat with a blue check. Anyone who asks you to read one out is trying to take the account. - Nobody legitimate asks for your 2-Step Verification password or access to your recovery email. - Breaking into the intruder's account is not a recovery route, and it is a crime. - A genuine helper starts by reviewing what happened, uses only Telegram's own forms, works on a best-effort basis and tells you plainly that Telegram decides. Our article on [fake hackers who offer account recovery](https://www.awarexone.com/research/fake-hackers-offering-account-recovery-scam) lists more of the scripts and the red flags behind them. ## If Subscribers Lost Money in Malaysia A hijacked channel often pushes a fake investment, giveaway or crypto offer to subscribers. The Malaysian government's [NSRC 997 page](https://www.malaysia.gov.my/en/categories/safety-and-community/cybersecurity/nsrc-997-hotline) says victims should call 997 within 24 hours of discovering a scam, contact their bank, and make a police report at the nearest station. Share that advice in your pinned post. For the takeover itself, CyberSecurity Malaysia's [Cyber999 centre](https://www.cybersecurity.my/portal-main/services/cyber999-overview) is the national point of contact for computer security incidents and takes reports by online form, email, phone or its mobile app. A police report in your own name also helps if a subscriber later blames you for the scam posts. ## Mistakes That Lose a Channel for Good - Arguing with the intruder inside the channel before you have secured your own account. - Deleting your personal account in a panic. Telegram's FAQ says deletion is irreversible, and channels you created are left without a creator while admins keep their rights. - Forwarding a login code to a "helper" or typing it into a site linked from a message. - Leaving an unknown admin in place because they seem inactive. - Installing modified Telegram clients or third-party "recovery bots" that ask you to log in. ## Set Up the Channel So One Hack Cannot Take It Most channels are lost because a single account held all the power. A short setup spreads the risk without handing out ownership. - Keep 2-Step Verification on the owner account, with a unique password and a protected recovery email. - Appoint one second admin you trust, with posting rights, so the channel can warn subscribers if your account is taken. - Give every admin only the rights they need, and keep the right to add new admins to yourself. - Check Settings, then Devices on the owner account each month, and end sessions you no longer use. - Publish your channel link on your website or other official accounts, so subscribers can tell the real one from a copy. - Never log the owner account into third-party bots, unofficial apps or shared office devices. ## When a Case Review Makes Sense Many owners can work through these steps alone, and only Telegram can restore a channel. A second opinion helps when the channel carries a business or a large community, when ownership has already moved, or when a SIM swap is tangled up in the takeover. SocialSafe by AwareXone, our recovery service, looks at what happened before anything is agreed, uses only Telegram's official routes, and will tell you plainly if none is left open. It is best effort, and some channels do not come back. The [recovery hub](https://www.awarexone.com/all-types-of-social-media-problem-solutions) explains how a case review works, and our [Trust Center](https://www.awarexone.com/trust) sets out what we will never ask for, starting with your login code and password. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Can a hacker transfer my Telegram channel to their own account? Yes, if they control the owner account and know its 2-Step Verification password. Telegram's documentation says the transfer fails from a session or password less than 24 hours old, so act quickly. ### Why was I removed as admin of my Telegram channel? The owner sets each admin's rights, so either the owner chose to remove you or an account with admin powers was taken over. Contact the owner through another channel you trust. ### Can Telegram support give my channel back? Telegram publishes no reclaim process for transferred channels. You can report it through the support form and Ask a Question in the app, and Telegram decides whether to act. ### Will my subscribers be lost if I start a new channel? Subscribers do not move automatically. Announce the new link on your website and other official accounts, and explain the dates the old channel was compromised. ### Is it safe to pay someone who says they can recover my Telegram channel? Not if they ask for your login code or your password, or promise to get the channel back. A legitimate helper only uses Telegram's official routes and cannot promise a result. AwareXone reviews cases first and never asks for codes or passwords. ## Official sources - [Telegram: Channels FAQ (read 5 October 2026)](https://telegram.org/faq_channels) - [Telegram FAQ (read 5 October 2026)](https://telegram.org/faq) - [Telegram: Support form (read 5 October 2026)](https://telegram.org/support) - [Telegram API documentation: Channels, supergroups, gigagroups and basic groups (read 5 October 2026)](https://core.telegram.org/api/channel) - [Telegram API documentation: messages.editChatCreator (read 5 October 2026)](https://core.telegram.org/method/messages.editChatCreator) - [Telegram API documentation: Two-factor authentication (read 5 October 2026)](https://core.telegram.org/api/srp) - [Telegram API documentation: Admin log (read 5 October 2026)](https://core.telegram.org/api/recent-actions) - [Telegram blog: Android Redesign, Group Ownership Transfer (read 5 October 2026)](https://telegram.org/blog/crafting-android-design-and-more) - [MyGOV Malaysia: NSRC 997 Hotline (read 5 October 2026)](https://www.malaysia.gov.my/en/categories/safety-and-community/cybersecurity/nsrc-997-hotline) - [CyberSecurity Malaysia: Cyber999 Cyber Incident Response Center (read 5 October 2026)](https://www.cybersecurity.my/portal-main/services/cyber999-overview) --- AwareXone is an independent Malaysia-based provider, not affiliated with any platform. The platform makes the final decision on every account. AwareXone never asks for passwords, OTP codes, backup codes or session cookies.