P2P USDT deal: a checklist for before, during and after

Before the deal

• Check the counterparty’s address in GuardPay /check: risk labels, links to known schemes, age and volume. A fresh address for a large amount is a reason for a test payment.
• Agree in writing: amount, rate, deadline, who pays first, what counts as payment.
• Compare the rate with the market. USDT “at a 10% discount” is almost always a trap, see cash USDT deals.
• Start small. With a new person, a test deal for a small amount.

During the deal

• Whoever risks less pays first, or the deal goes in parts.
• Payment counts as received only when the transfer is visible on the blockchain at your address. Screenshots do not count, see fake payment proof.
• Compare the recipient address in full, not by the first and last characters.
• Do not follow the counterparty’s links and do not sign anything in your wallet except a plain transfer. A P2P deal never needs an approve, see approvals.

The fake “guarantor”

The scheme: the counterparty suggests a “reliable guarantor” — a person, a bot or an “escrow service” that will hold the money. Signs of fraud:

• the guarantor was suggested by the counterparty, not chosen by you in advance;
• the guarantor is a messenger account with reviews that cannot be verified;
• the money must be sent to the “guarantor’s” personal address;
• after payment a “guarantor fee”, “insurance” or “verification” appears.

Real escrow holds money in a smart contract with open release rules, not in a person’s wallet. If the “guarantor” is just someone’s wallet, it is a transfer to a scammer.

After the deal

• Keep the chat, addresses and transaction hashes.
• If the money came from a suspicious address, do not forward it straight to an exchange: first check where it came from, see if USDT is blocked.
• If you were cheated, follow the steps in “Scammed on TRON”.