Types of YouTube spam
WhatsApp and Telegram number spam in YouTube comments
Contact spam is a comment, usually a reply, that pushes a WhatsApp or Telegram number, often written in lookalike Unicode letters (𝖶𝗁𝖺𝗍𝗌𝖠𝗉𝗉) and followed by a row of thumbs-up emojis. The odd lettering is deliberate: it is there to slip past keyword filters that look for the plain word “WhatsApp”.
By Dan, founder of RemoveSpam · Updated
- sampled spam comments pushed a WhatsApp, Telegram or phone contact
- 1 in 20
- of those disguised the word or number with lookalike characters
- Nearly all
Source: RemoveSpam removal data, October 2025 to November 2026, from YouTube channels protected by RemoveSpam (mostly crypto, finance and tech).
What it looks like
Ꮯ𝗁𝖺𝗍𝖶𝗁𝖺𝗍𝗌𝖠pp┼𝟣𝟫𝟣𝟤•••••••👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Real, removed by RemoveSpamNumber partly redacted. “ChatWhatsApp” spelled with Cherokee and math letters
Ꮯ𝗈𝗇𝗍𝖺𝖼𝗍𝖬E┼𝟷505•••••••👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Real, removed by RemoveSpamNumber partly redacted. “ContactME”
ꓪꓧ𝖠ꓔꓢꓮꓑꓑ𝖭ꓴꓟꓐꓰꓣ┼𝟣𝟪𝟦𝟧•••••••👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻
Real, removed by RemoveSpamNumber partly redacted. “WHATSAPPNUMBER” in Lisu script lookalikes
Real examples are quoted as posted. Author names are hidden and phone numbers partly redacted.
Why the letters look strange
Unicode contains many characters that look like Latin letters but are technically different: mathematical alphanumerics (𝖶, 𝗁), Cherokee (Ꮯ), Lisu (ꓪ) and others. To a person, “𝖶𝗁𝖺𝗍𝗌𝖠𝗉𝗉” reads as WhatsApp. To a keyword filter, it is a string of unfamiliar symbols that matches nothing on your blocked-words list.
Detecting these reliably means normalising the text first, turning every lookalike back into the letter it imitates, and only then matching it. RemoveSpam does this for every comment before checking it, which is why these comments are caught even when the spelling has never been seen before.
What happens if a viewer messages the number
The conversation moves off YouTube, where nobody can see or report it. What follows is usually a recovery scam, a fake investment manager, or someone posing as the creator. The thumbs-up rows and the reply format are there to look like an endorsed answer in the thread.
How to reduce it with YouTube’s own tools
Blocked words catch the plain spellings, so they are still worth adding, but expect the disguised versions to get through. Holding comments for review and hiding repeat accounts helps on smaller channels.
- In YouTube Studio, open Settings → Community and add blocked words: coin names, “WhatsApp”, “Telegram”, and the phrases you keep seeing.
- In the same place, turn on blocking links so comments with URLs are held for review.
- Under comment settings, hold potentially inappropriate comments for review, and increase strictness if spam keeps getting through.
- On any spam comment, use “Hide user from channel” so that account’s comments stop appearing to everyone else.
How RemoveSpam handles this: Scam and impersonation detection.
Common questions
Why doesn’t YouTube’s blocked words list catch these comments?
Because the word is not actually “WhatsApp” as far as a computer is concerned. Each letter is swapped for a lookalike from another alphabet, and a blocked-words list compares exact characters. Catching them requires converting lookalikes back to normal letters first.
Are these comments dangerous for my viewers?
Yes. Their only purpose is to get a viewer into a private chat where they can be scammed. Remove them rather than replying, since replies keep the thread visible.
Other types of YouTube spam
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