Introduction — The #1 Problem in the Global Oil Market: Fake Sellers & Endless Broker Chains

In 2025, 90% of EN590 and Jet A1 “sellers” on the market are not sellers at all.
They are brokers, forwarding recycled PDFs, outdated SCOs, and unverified offers with no access to product or tank.

Real Title Holders (refinery allocation holders, tank owners, terminal-based suppliers, or major trading houses) are extremely rare, and they operate under strict compliance rules.

Buyers lose months because they:

• Engage with broker chains posing as sellers

• Receive “POP” documents stolen from previous deals

• Send ICPOs to people with zero mandate

• Waste time with intermediaries who cannot pass KYC

• Misinterpret SCO and POP as title evidence

• Fail at the first compliance step

The objective of this article:

• Teach you how to identify a REAL title holder

• Show you how to eliminate non-performing brokers

• Explain the clean KYC verification process

• Provide an institutional method used in Rotterdam, Houston, and Singapore

• Give you the exact industry procedure to avoid fake offers

This is the definitive 2025 guide for professionals in petroleum trade.

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SECTION 1 — Understanding the Real Context: Why 90% of Offers Are Fake

1.1 The Market Is Flooded With Non-Mandated Brokers

Most intermediaries call themselves:

• “Mandate”

• “Facilitator”

• “Consultant”

• “Buyer mandate”

• “Seller representative”

…but cannot provide:

• A real NCNDA

• An LOA (Letter of Authorization)

• A verifiable mandate letter

• Direct access to company email

• A contact at the terminal or refinery

1.2 Why Real Sellers Protect Their Identity

Real title holders rarely circulate:

• Tank numbers

• TSR (Tank Storage Receipt)

• Full POP sets

• Allocation letters

• Terminal codes

• LOA/CPA documents

Why?

Because releasing sensitive documents to random brokers leads to:

• Fraud

• Document theft

• Fake offers using their data

• Terminal blacklisting

Real sellers only release POP after KYC & SPA.

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1.3 The Only Valid Types of Real Title Holders

A real title holder is one of the following:

1. Refinery (Direct Seller)

Exxon, Rosneft, Shell, Aramco, ENI, etc.

2. Official Refinery Allocation Holder

A company holding:

• Active refinery allocation

• CPA (Commercial Passport Authorization)

• LOA from refinery

• Confirmed monthly quota

3. Tank Owner with Fuel in Storage

A company storing product in:

• Vopak (Rotterdam, Fujairah)

• Oiltanking (Houston, Amsterdam)

• VTTI (Singapore)

• Koole Terminal (Rotterdam)

4. Major Trading House

Vitol
Gunvor
Trafigura
Mercuria
Glencore

5. Terminal-Based Supplier

Companies with long-term storage contracts supplying fuel through TTT/TTM.

Everything else is not a seller.

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SECTION 2 — How to Identify a Real Title Holder (A to Z)

2.1 Step 1 — Corporate Verification

A real seller can always provide:

• Certificate of Incorporation

• Tax ID

• Company address + lease contract

• Corporate website

• Landline number

• Professional email domain

• Beneficial owner identity (UBO)

• Trade registry extract

Brokers cannot.

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2.2 Step 2 — Legal Authority Verification (Mandate Check)

Ask for:

Mandatory Documents

1. LOA (Letter of Authorization)

2. Official Mandate Letter

3. Company Letterhead

4. Board Resolution (optional)

5. Appointment contract

If the intermediary cannot provide at least one, you are talking to a broker chain.

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2.3 Step 3 — Tank & Title Verification (The Single Most Important Step)

A real title holder can show:

• TSR (recent + verifiable)

• ATV (Authorization to Verify)

• CPA (Commercial Passport Authorization)

• Injection Report

• Q&Q (72h max)

• Real Tank Numbers (after KYC)

• Contact at the terminal

A broker chain cannot provide any of these.

Terminal verification (by email or phone) is the strongest proof of product.

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SECTION 3 — NNRV Expert Analysis: How to Spot a Broker Chain Instantly

3.1 Red Flags for Fake Sellers

• Gmail / Yahoo / Outlook emails

• No website

• No company registration

• More than 3 intermediaries

• No mandate letter

• No direct communication with refinery or seller

• “Full POP before KYC”

• Unrealistic discounts ($100–$250 below Platts)

• Recycled SCOs with no date or wrong formatting

3.2 Red Flags in Communication

• Responses within seconds (“copy/paste behavior”)

• English errors, unprofessional tone

• Conflicting procedures

• Asking buyer to “trust them”

• IP location mismatches

• Phone numbers not matching company HQ

3.3 Red Flags in Documents

• POP too clean (fake PDFs)

• Q&Q older than 72h

• No terminal stamp

• Logos blurred

• Different fonts in the same page

• Editing traces

• Wrong refinery names

• No contact person on TSR

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SECTION 4 — Clean KYC Verification Process (Institutional Method)

This is the NNRV institutional verification framework, aligned with:

✔ FATF AML
✔ OFAC
✔ EU Sanctions
✔ Basel III
✔ Terminal compliance
✔ Refinery SOP

Step 1 — Buyer/Seller Pre-Screening

• Basic KYC

• UBO identification

• Website check

• Company structure

Step 2 — Document Verification

• Certificate of Incorporation

• VAT/Tax number validation

• Bank verification (not balances)

• SWIFT capability (MT799, MT760, MT103)

Step 3 — Legal Mandate Verification

• LOA/Mandate Contract

• NCNDA signing

• Signature comparison

• Email domain verification

Step 4 — Title Verification

• TSR validation

• CPA/ATV email confirmation

• Terminal operator verification

• Q&Q sample cross-check

• Injection report authenticity

Step 5 — Risk Assessment (“NNRV Tier System”)

• Tier 1 = Direct refinery or major trading house

• Tier 2 = Verified allocation holder

• Tier 3 = Tank owner with confirmed title

• Tier 4 = Reliable intermediary with LOA

• Tier 5 = Broker chain (rejected immediately)

Only Tier 1–3 reach transaction level.

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SECTION 5 — Buyers’ & Sellers’ Questions (20 Total)

10 Buyer Questions

1. How do I know if someone is a real seller?

2. Can a real seller give full POP before ICPO?

3. Why do sellers hide tank numbers?

4. Do real sellers use Gmail?

5. Why do sellers reject my ICPO?

6. Can I communicate with the terminal directly?

7. Why do I need to show RWA/POF?

8. Why are real sellers so strict?

9. Why do prices differ so much?

10. Why do most offers fail during KYC?

10 Seller Questions

1. How do I verify buyer capacity?

2. Should I accept ICPO without bank details?

3. Why do buyers insist on early POP?

4. How do I handle long broker chains?

5. Why must Q&Q be recent?

6. When should I provide tank numbers?

7. Should I accept escrow?

8. What if buyer’s tank is not valid?

9. What documents must buyer provide?

10. How to avoid fraudulent buyers?

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SECTION 6 — Proof & Credibility

This institutional process is used by:

• Vitol

• Gunvor

• Trafigura

• Mercuria

• Glencore

• Shell Trading

• TotalEnergies Trading

• Vopak

• Oiltanking

• VTTI

• Koole

• Magellan

• Enterprise Terminal

This article follows the compliance standards of:

✔ SGS / Intertek / Saybolt
✔ Rotterdam Port Authority
✔ Houston Terminal Protocol
✔ SWIFT MT standards
✔ Refinery Allocation Systems

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SECTION 7 — Professional Call to Action (CTA)

📌 Get Your Free Buyer/Seller Verification Audit (24h Response)

Submit your documents to NNRV for a professional, institutional review:

Required:

1. Company KYC

2. Passport/ID of UBO

3. ICPO or Offer

4. Tank or Terminal Requirements

📩 Email: compliance@nnrvtradepartners.com
🌐 Website: www.nnrvtradepartners.com

NNRV will:

• Identify whether the counterparty is real

• Verify tank ownership

• Confirm mandate legitimacy

• Filter out fake intermediaries

• Protect your deal from fraud

• Prepare your file for SGS, SPA, and successful execution

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Mini FAQ (5 Questions)

1. Can NNRV verify a title holder in 24 hours?
   Yes, with proper documents.

2. Do you help buyers avoid broker chains?
   Yes, through mandate restructuring.

3. Can you verify TSR authenticity?
   Yes, directly with terminal.

4. Do you work with Jet A1 suppliers?
   Yes, with the same verification framework.

5. Can you structure full TTT/FOB/CIF deals?
   Yes, from A to Z.

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Why Choose NNRV Trade Partners?

• Institutional verification standards

• Direct refinery / allocation access

• Real tank and terminal authentication

• Zero tolerance for fraud

• Professional document control

• Experienced in Rotterdam, Houston, Singapore

• High-performance deal execution

• 24/7 team for institutional buyers & sellers