TL;DR. Anonymous Telegram Numbers (+888 format) are TON NFTs issued via Fragment, used as anonymous SIM replacements for Telegram registration. Short 4-5-digit numbers are collector-grade NFTs with real liquidity; 4-digit with pattern appreciated 50-200% in 2024-2025. Three working flip strategies: primary→secondary, pattern hunting, cross-platform arbitrage. Key risks: regulatory (anonymous numbers under pressure), technological (TON Foundation may change rules), market (prices correlate with crypto sentiment). Minimum ticket for serious flipping — 5,000-10,000 TON.
What is a +888 anonymous number
In August 2022 the TON Foundation launched “anonymous numbers” on Fragment — virtual numbers in the +888 international code (ITU-assigned for NGO/scientific use, leased by the Foundation). Each number is a TON NFT:
- Buy a number → NFT lands in your wallet
- Use the NFT to log in to Telegram (no SIM needed)
- Transfer the NFT → transfer access to the Telegram account
The use case is clear: people who don’t want to give Telegram their real number (journalists, activists, privacy-aware users) get a working anonymous account with no SIM, no paper trail, no telecom dependency.
A year after launch numbers became collectible: short 4-5-digit (1000-99999) appreciated by an order of magnitude; special patterns (8888, 5555, 1234, palindromes) — two orders. By 2026 this is a formed TON NFT sub-market with monthly volume ~$500K-$1M.
Categories and value
Numbers run 4-9 digits after the prefix. By rarity/price:
4-digit (1000-9999) — premium
Only 9,000 unique. By May 2026 all sold on primary, secondary-only.
Prices:
- No pattern (
1234,5678): 50-200 TON ($250-$1000) - Simple pattern (
1212,3434): 200-500 TON ($1000-$2500) - Repeating (
8888,7777,2222): 5,000-50,000 TON ($25K-$250K) - Special (
1000,9999,5000): 1,000-10,000 TON ($5K-$50K) - Palindromes (
1221,1331,5775): 500-2,000 TON ($2500-$10000)
5-digit (10000-99999) — mid-tier collectible
About 90,000. By 2026 ~70% sold.
Prices:
- No pattern: 5-15 TON ($25-$75)
- Pattern: 30-300 TON ($150-$1500)
- Repeating: 500-3,000 TON ($2500-$15000)
6-digit (100000-999999)
Large supply, primary available.
- No pattern: 0.5-2 TON ($2.50-$10)
- Pattern: 5-50 TON ($25-$250)
7-9 digits — utility
Fragment primary ~9 TON ($45). Secondary cheaper, ~3-7 TON. Working numbers for regular accounts — not collectible.
Three working flip strategies
Strategy 1: Primary → secondary
Applicable during mint waves (when the Foundation releases new numbers). Steps:
- Watch @fragment_news for announcements.
- Buy on primary as close to mint start as possible.
- Wait 2-7 days — market price typically rises 30-100%.
- List on secondary via Fragment with a premium.
Real case (December 2024): Foundation released a batch of 5-digit numbers. Primary mint at 9 TON, after 5 days average secondary 25 TON. Flip +178%.
Cons: waves happen 1-2× per year; sometimes primary is so cheap that bots eat the supply (similar to Ethereum NFT launches), retail doesn’t get in.
Strategy 2: Pattern hunting
Scanning secondary for underpriced patterns. Steps:
- Fragment → Anonymous Numbers section.
- Filter: 4-5 digits, sort by price ASC.
- Find numbers with patterns priced below the average for their pattern-category.
- Buy, relist at fair price (+30-100%).
What to hunt:
- Palindromes (1221, 5005, 9119) — sellers often don’t realise the pattern weight.
- Sequential (1234, 3456, 8765) — slip under radar.
- Birthday numbers (8090, 0101) — collector value in niche groups.
Real case: number 1221 bought at 350 TON, sold 3 weeks later at 700 TON (+100%). Buyer was a palindrome collector.
Cons: time-intensive. Empirically 1 good opportunity per 20-50 listings reviewed.
Strategy 3: Cross-platform arbitrage
Prices on Fragment vs Getgems vs Tonnel vs OTC sometimes diverge by 20-50%. Steps:
- Watchlist the same rare numbers across 3-4 platforms.
- Spread >30% (including 5% Fragment taker, 2-5% on others) — buy cheap, list expensive.
Cons: Tonnel/Getgems liquidity is low — sales can take weeks. Not for fast turnover.
Where to trade
Fragment (https://fragment.com)
Main venue. Pros: highest liquidity, built-in escrow, native Wallet-in-Telegram integration. Cons: 5% taker fee (one of the highest among NFT marketplaces), 10-15% average bid/ask spread.
Getgems (https://getgems.io)
Universal TON NFT marketplace. Supports anonymous numbers, lower volume than Fragment. Pros: 2% fee, bulk listings. Cons: fewer collectors, slower sales.
Tonnel Network (https://tonnel.network)
Specialised in TG gifts but includes rare numbers. Pros: 0% maker fee, auction format. Cons: small audience for numbers (most are there for gifts).
MRKT.online
Growing marketplace since 2024. Pros: clean UI, gifts + numbers focus. Cons: liquidity even lower.
OTC (Telegram chats)
Channels @TONNumbers, @AnonymousNumbersMarket, @TGNumbersDealers. Pros: best pricing on large trades (>10,000 TON), no platform fee. Cons: NO escrow — trusted middleman required, high scam risk for newcomers.
Buying safely
- Before purchase — verify on tonviewer.com: it must be a TON NFT, owner address matches the seller, no court/freeze.
- Primary — only via Fragment directly.
- Secondary on Fragment/Getgems — built-in escrow is reliable, safe even for 100K TON+ trades.
- OTC — mandatory escrow agent (@TonEscrowBot or established dealers with thousands of successful trades), staged payment (10% deposit → NFT in escrow → final payment → release).
- Never buy a number with “access via email/2FA change” promise — always a scam.
Legal notes
Russia — borderline:
- Anonymous numbers not formally banned, but the Ministry of Digital is trying to register them as “foreign communication means” since 2025 (bill drafted, not enacted as of mid-2026).
- Using anonymous numbers to hide identity during suspected wrongdoing — aggravating factor.
EU — post-Digital Services Act 2023:
- Platforms must identify users on suspicion of illegal activity.
- Telegram with +888 may be subject to requests, but 2024-2025 case law shows Fragment NFTs aren’t surrendered without a court order.
For serious activities (conflict-zone journalism, political protest) — add layers (Tor, encrypted backup, dead-drops).
Tax on flipping
In most jurisdictions selling NFT numbers = property sale, taxed on profit:
- Income = sale − purchase.
- Keep receipts/tx hashes on both sides as proof.
- File once per year.
For Russia specifically — see our Taxes on TON in Russia guide (RU, available in Russian only). Regular NFT trading as a business → register as IP on USN 6% simplifies tax.
Pre-flipping checklist
- Wallet with minimum 5,000 TON for a sensible diversified portfolio
- Account on Fragment + Wallet in Telegram
- Watchlist of 30-50 numbers across 3-4 platforms
- Understanding pattern categories (palindromes, sequences, repeating)
- Per-trade risk cap 5-10% of capital
- Hold horizon 1-12 months (fast flips exist but not for all numbers)
Empirical market outlook
2024-2025 picture:
- 4-digit with pattern: +50-200% YoY
- 4-digit no pattern: +20-50%
- 5-digit with pattern: +30-80%
- 5-digit no pattern: flat, sometimes -10%
- 6-9 digits: flat or slight decline (oversupply)
Through 2027:
- Continued appreciation on 4-digit patterns (limited supply, growing collector base).
- Additional rarity layers (e.g. “lunar” patterns under Chinese numerology may carry premium in Asia).
- Possible US/EU legislative pressure — could depress prices temporarily.
Bottom line
Anonymous Telegram Numbers are a real TON NFT sub-market with liquidity, price dynamics and working flip strategies. 4-digit = premium collectibles, 5-digit = growing mid-tier, 6+ = utility. Key knowledge: pattern categories and cross-platform spreads.
Start small: $500-1000 on 2-3 patterned positions, observe 2-3 months, then scale. Never invest what you can’t lose — this is a speculative market, 30-50% corrections happen.
Adjacent niche — TON domains as investment — runs on similar logic (short .ton names = digital real estate).
