Here are the most important tips to secure your Telegram account with a focus on phone number privacy:
1. Maximize Your Phone Number Privacy Settings (The Most Crucial Step!)
These are the core settings that determine who sees and finds you by your number.
"Who can see my phone number?":
Go to Settings > Privacy and Security > Phone Number.
Select "Nobody". This ensures your phone number is never telegram number database displayed on your profile, even to people in your contacts. This is the strongest setting for visibility.
This option appears if you set "Who can see my phone number?" to "Nobody."
Select "My Contacts". This allows only people who have your phone number in their actual phone's address book to find you on Telegram by searching for the number. If you choose "Nobody" here, even your contacts won't be able to find you by number, forcing them to use your username.
Create Your Username: Go to Settings > Username and choose a unique username (e.g., @YourUniqueHandle).
Share Your Username, Not Your Number: Make it a habit to share your username (e.g., on social media, business cards, with new acquaintances) instead of your phone number when you want people to connect with you on Telegram. This allows contact without revealing your personal number.
3. Enable and Protect Two-Step Verification (2FA)
This is your strongest defense against unauthorized access, especially against SIM.