What??? NO, this should NOT be your takeaway. The coin they picked has great fundamentals and potential. There is no way that doing research can uncover private Telegram channels unless they are exposed (which rarely happens).

Your takeaway should be that:

1. All crypto markets (especially micro-caps) have the potential to be massively manipulated.
2. Every crypto influencer you know/follow has definitely been approached multiple times by P&D groups. The ones with integrity won't participate, but it is almost impossible to know.
3. No amount of research can protect you from privately planned pump and dumps. However, always do research -- if you do buy into a pump and dump, at least your coin has a chance of surviving.