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Before you trade

Safety guide · Updated 28 Oct 2026

How to check a trader before a deal

A name and a profile picture are easy to copy. An ID is not. Before you send items, money or a middleman fee, spend a minute checking who you are really dealing with.

This is the same check whether the deal is on Discord, Telegram, Instagram or inside a game.

How to read what you find

  • Caution: reported and reviewed, but with partial proof. Trade only with a middleman.
  • High risk: reported and reviewed. Do not trade.
  • Severe risk: repeat, network or account-theft reports. Avoid.
  • No record: nobody has a reviewed report on file. That does not mean safe.
  • A listing is a report plus a staff verdict. It is not a legal finding.

Do and don't

The short version. Skim this first.

Do

  • Get the exact ID, not just the username. On Discord, turn on Developer Mode (User Settings, then Advanced) and copy their user ID. For Telegram or Instagram use the @username, and for crypto the wallet address.
  • Paste it into the lookup. It needs no account. You can also run /check in a server that has Trustified.
  • Read the record, the risk level and the vouches, including the comments and the net score.
  • Check that the ID you looked up is the account that is actually messaging you. The same display name is not the same account.
  • Look at the TrustID if there is one. It links a person's Discord, Telegram and Instagram accounts, wallets and usernames, so a record can follow them when a username changes.
  • Screenshot the seller's terms before you pay, and keep your chats and payment proof.
  • Check again before a big deal. Accounts can be sold or taken over.

Don't

  • Don't trust a screenshot of vouches or a record that someone sends you. Look it up yourself.
  • Don't treat "no record" as "safe".
  • Don't go by display name alone. Lookups work on exact IDs, and names are not unique.
  • Don't skip the check because the deal is small, the trader is friendly or others are waiting.
  • Don't let a countdown or "offer ends soon" rush you.
  • Don't send the first payment or the first item to someone you have not checked.

If it already happened (you traded, then found a record)

  1. Stop sending anything more, and don't open links or files they sent.
  2. Save the chats, payment proof and what was agreed. Keep them uncropped, with dates visible.
  3. If you lost items or money, report it with their ID.
  4. Read what to do if you've been scammed for the rest, including your bank or payment service.
  5. Tell the server staff where it happened through the server's official channel, not by DM.

Where to go next

The right page on TrustDB for the next step.

Questions

  • No. No record only means nobody has a reviewed report on file. For bigger trades use a middleman you have checked yourself, screenshot the seller's terms before you pay, and keep your chats and payment proof.
  • No. You can look someone up on the website without an account. You can also use /check in a Discord server that has Trustified.
  • Look up the ID, not the name. Usernames change and IDs do not. Telegram and Instagram usernames are matched exactly as typed, so also keep screenshots and profile links in case the name changes later.

More answers in the FAQ.

General safety information, not legal or financial advice. TrustDB isn't a party to your deals. We don't hold funds, act as a middleman or get refunds for you.

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Check before you send anything.

A lookup takes a second and no account. It's the cheapest insurance in trading.

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