this title is definitely a clicker but i’d say let’s all calm down and don’t think of the worst
your client probably just lost their phone or got their phone hacked
Often these scammers use services that provide temporary numbers or even Telegram accounts, and after a period of time they sell them or the service provider sells them, and a third party may buy them. Therefore, this third party does not necessarily have to be a scammer, but it is better not to deal with any account on Telegram without using escrow.
Back to your story, did they pay you the remaining $4,000, or did the project stop, or what?
They paid $2,500. I did half the job as we agreed. I'd have completed it if they paid the balance of $1,500.
since you got your pay for the work you did, i suggest you just let it go and
don’t stress yourself too much about it
it’s enough that you’ve shared awareness here