The short answer: in YouTube Studio, open Settings, then Community. On the Automated filters tab, add blocked words such as "telegram", "whatsapp" and your channel name variants, and turn on Block links. On the Defaults tab, set comments to Hold potentially inappropriate comments for review and turn on Increase strictness. Then check the Held for review tab every few days and hide users who keep coming back.
What YouTube scam comments look like
- Impersonators: an account with your name and profile picture replies "Thanks for watching! Message me on Telegram, you've been selected." Viewers think it's you.
- Crypto testimonial threads: one bot asks how to invest, five more reply praising the same "expert", and all of them like each other so the thread rises to the top.
- Phone numbers and messaging apps: WhatsApp numbers, wa.me and t.me links, often with spaces or emojis to dodge filters.
- Adult bots: short comments that point to a profile or a link in the channel's About section.
Scam bots target popular comments because that is where viewers read. A real fan's top comment often collects a dozen fake replies within hours.
Step 1: Add blocked words
In YouTube Studio, go to Settings, Community, Automated filters. Comments that contain a blocked word are held for review instead of published. Start with this list and add what you see on your own channel:
| Scam pattern | Words to block |
|---|---|
| Off-platform contact | telegram, whatsapp, t.me, wa.me, signal, text me |
| Crypto and trading | bitcoin, crypto, forex, investment, profit, financial advisor, expert |
| Fake prizes | you have been selected, winner, claim, prize |
| Impersonation | your channel name with "official", "team" or "support" |
If your channel is about finance or crypto, words like "bitcoin" will hold real viewer comments too. Keep them on the list anyway and approve the real ones from the held queue, or use more specific phrases.
Step 2: Block links
On the same Automated filters tab, turn on Block links. Comments with URLs and hashtags are then held for review. Most scam comments need a link or a contact to work, so this setting catches a large share of them.
Step 3: Hold potentially inappropriate comments
On the Defaults tab, under comments on your new videos, choose Hold potentially inappropriate comments for review and turn on Increase strictness. YouTube then holds more comments that its systems think may be spam or inappropriate. You can change the same setting on older videos one by one in the video's details.
During a heavy wave, such as a viral video or a big launch, you can switch a video to hold all comments for review for a day or two and approve them in batches.
Step 4: Use hidden users, approved users and moderators
- Hidden users: comments from these accounts stay hidden from everyone else. Add repeat offenders here.
- Approved users: their comments skip your filters, which is useful for regulars and partners.
- Moderators: give a team member moderator access so someone besides you reviews the held queue.
Step 5: Pin a warning and report impersonators
Pin a comment under each video: "We will never ask you to message us on Telegram or WhatsApp." It costs nothing and protects viewers who would otherwise trust a fake account with your picture. Report impersonating channels to YouTube from the channel page using the impersonation option.
Why scam comments still get through
- Bots change spelling, add spaces inside words and swap letters for numbers.
- Your filters apply to your own channel, but a big back catalogue means hundreds of old videos you never look at.
- Held-for-review queues fill up fast and nobody empties them, so real comments wait for days.
- Reply threads under a popular comment are easy to miss, and that is where the testimonial bots hide.
When a moderation tool helps
If you publish often, have a large back catalogue or manage several channels, checking held queues by hand stops working. A moderation tool connects through the YouTube Data API, reads each new comment on your recent uploads and holds the scams for you.
Social Moderator AI reads every comment in context, so it can tell a viewer asking "is this a scam?" from a bot pushing a Telegram contact. It moves scams to Held for review in YouTube Studio, shows why it held each one, and lets you publish a comment again in one click if it was wrong. The same rules also cover Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
Frequently asked questions
Does YouTube remove scam comments on its own?
YouTube catches a lot of spam automatically, and some of it lands in Held for review. It still misses new patterns, especially polite-sounding crypto threads, which is why your own blocked words matter.
Should I turn comments off?
Only on videos where comments add nothing. Comments help viewers and the channel, so holding suspicious ones is usually better than closing the section.
Why do scam replies appear under other people's comments?
Bots reply to popular comments because those are what viewers read first. Check reply threads under your top comments, not only the comments themselves.
What happens to comments I hold for review?
They stay off the public page until you approve them. You can approve, remove or report each one from the Held for review tab in YouTube Studio.
Do the same tricks work on Instagram and Facebook?
The scams are the same, the settings are different. See our guides to hiding spam comments on Instagram and hiding scam links and fake giveaways.