Scams in P2P deals: 10 red flags

In deals between strangers scammers use the same tricks again and again. Knowing them protects better than any antivirus. Below are ten red flags and what to do about them.

1. "Pay now, we will sort the paperwork later"

Pressure of urgency is the main tool of deception. "Only one left", "the price is valid for an hour", "transfer now and the guarantor will join later". A real deal will survive a pause for checking.

What to do: deposit money only into the contract and only after checking the terms and addresses.

2. A guarantor pushed by the other side

If the seller insistently offers "their" guarantor and rejects yours, it is a warning sign. A guarantor must be independent of both sides.

What to do: pick the guarantor yourself or agree on someone both sides trust. The guarantor's address cannot be changed after the deal is created, so check it twice.

3. A fake website

Scammers create copies of real services with similar addresses: coin-trust.net turns into coin-trust.co or coin-trust-net.com. The design is identical, and the "Connect wallet" button opens a window asking for a seed phrase or a signature "to withdraw all funds".

What to do: bookmark the real address and do not follow links from messages and ads. A real service never asks for a seed phrase - more in the article on wallet and keys.

4. "Support staff" in private messages

You post a question in a public chat and a "support employee" immediately replies in private. They ask you to connect your wallet via a link or to "verify" your seed phrase.

What to do: real support does not write first and does not ask for secret data.

5. A request to sign something "for verification"

A wallet signature is not a formality. Scammers ask you to sign a message or transaction "to prove ownership" or "to receive a payout". In fact it can be an approval to spend all the tokens in your wallet.

What to do: read exactly what you sign. Be especially careful with requests for an unlimited approval of tokens to an unknown address.

6. Payment outside the contract

"Let me first transfer a little directly and the rest through the guarantor." Any payment bypassing the contract strips your protection: that transfer is irreversible and protected by no guarantor.

What to do: the whole amount through the contract, no exceptions.

7. Vague terms

"Everything as agreed", "standard delivery", "goods as in the photo". Blurred terms are a gift to a dishonest side: in a dispute the guarantor has nothing to rely on.

What to do: write down what is delivered, in what form, by when and by what signs it counts as done. Fix the text with a fingerprint in the deal and keep the document.

8. A price that is too good

Goods 30–50% cheaper than the market, "hot" offers, unrealistically high yield. A price lure is the standard way to attract attention.

What to do: compare the price with the market, check the seller's reputation, ask for documents.

9. A swapped address when copying

There is malware that replaces a wallet address copied to the clipboard with the scammer's. You paste the address without checking and the money goes elsewhere.

What to do: after pasting, check the start and end of the address. The service shows the address shortened and lets you expand it fully; check it in the wallet's confirmation window too.

10. Refusal to provide proof

The seller does not want to send photos, documents or a tracking number; avoids a video call; drags out replies. A good-faith counterparty wants you to be calm.

What to do: before paying, request everything needed. If the other side refuses, do not make the deal.

How escrow reduces risk

Escrow protects against the main fraud - when the other side takes the money and vanishes. The money sits in the contract, the seller cannot take it without your confirmation (or the guarantor's ruling), and the buyer cannot take it back once the work is done. More on the mechanism in the article what escrow is.

But escrow does not replace attention: it will not save you from signing a malicious transaction, from a fake site or from vague terms. Protection is the combination of the contract, the guarantor and your own caution.

What to do if you were cheated

1. Stop any further transfers and approvals: revoke token approvals and move the remaining funds to a new wallet with a new seed phrase if you suspect compromise.
2. Save conversations, addresses and transaction hashes - they are public.
3. If the deal went through the contract and a dispute is open, give the guarantor everything collected.
4. Do not pay "for unblocking" or "for a refund" - that is repeat fraud.

What to read next

Examine the concrete attack schemes: phishing and address poisoning and reinforce your defences with the wallet security checklist. Unfamiliar words are in the glossary. The next level begins with the deal lifecycle.