How to Catch Duplicate Requests in a Telegram Group

This is an add-on module. In your dashboard open Modules and press Install module on the Validator card, and it shows up in the menu. Free with any plan.

When payout or payment requests come into a group, the same request is sometimes sent twice. The Validator compares each new message with earlier ones and replies to a repeat right away.

Step 1. Add the bot to the group

Open Validator and click “Add to group”. Then make the bot a group admin. It needs no permissions, but otherwise Telegram doesn’t show regular messages to bots.

Step 2. Create a template

Paste a sample message and replace the changing values with fields in curly braces. Keep the constant text as is:

• before: “Card: 8600 1234 5678 9012, amount: 500 000”;
• after: “Card: {card}, amount: {amount}”.

You can name your own fields anything, e.g. {request number}.

Step 3. Choose what to compare

Click the fields to check for repeats, e.g. card and amount. A duplicate is when all selected values match an earlier message. Numbers are compared by value: “1 500 000” and “1500000” are the same.

Also choose where to search (this chat or all your chats) and over what period.

What the reply looks like

“⚠️ Duplicate found” with the values and a link to the first message. Edited messages are checked again. Remove a mistaken message from checks by replying to it with /forget.

If requests come from another bot

Bots can’t see other bots’ messages. For such chats set the template source to “My account” and checks will run through your connected Telegram account.

To Discord, Slack and your own address

Duplicates can also go to a webhook: in the template, next to Report to a webhook, press Add webhook, paste a Discord, Slack or your own URL (CRM, Make, Zapier) and tick it. It receives the matched values, a link to the message and to the first one; your own URL gets JSON signed with HMAC.

More: duplicate checker.