Most P2P merchants are legitimate small businesses. The few who aren't share a small set of warning signs that you can spot in the first 30 seconds of looking at their ad.
Red flags
Account age <30 days but ad volume already >1000 trades. Either a hacked account or a sock puppet.
Completion rate below 90% with high trade count. Means many trades are getting cancelled or disputed — there's a reason.
Price 50-150 paise above market when other merchants are at market. Either inattention or a trap (sometimes the merchant raises the price hoping a panic-buyer hits it).
Asks you to communicate via Telegram or WhatsApp before completing — every legitimate merchant uses the platform's chat.
Unusual payment-method requests, especially involving cash, gift cards, or other people's accounts.
Green flags
Verified merchant badge + 1000+ trades + 99%+ completion + active in last 24 hours. Standard professional profile.
Multiple payment methods (UPI + IMPS + bank transfer) — operational diversity.
Boring, normal price aligned with the rest of the order book.
Key takeaways
- Red flags: new account + high volume; <90% completion; way-off-market price; off-platform pressure; unusual payment requests.
- Green flags: verified + 1000+ trades + 99%+ completion + active.
- Boring is good — outliers are statistically more likely to be problematic.
