Introduction — Why 99% of “Sellers” in 2025 Are Fake (And How to Identify the 1% That Are Real)

In 2025, the petroleum trading market (EN590, Jet A1, Crude, D2, LPG) is flooded with:

• Fake sellers

• Fake allocations

• Fake tank farms

• Fake mandates

• Fake refinery connections

• Fake POP documents

• Fake SCOs copied from Google

98.7% of all seller offers circulating online are fraudulent.
This is why most buyers lose time, money, and credibility before ever reaching a real title holder or refinery allocator.

The confusion is amplified because:

• Fraudsters copy real procedures

• Fraudsters use real terminal names

• Fraudsters steal real refinery documents

• Fraudsters use fake POP, fake DTA, fake TSR

• Fraudsters use professional email signatures

This article exposes, with surgical precision, the exact red flags that instantly reveal a fake seller.

Written for serious institutional buyers, mandates, and traders, this is the 2025 official list.

SECTION 1 — Understanding the Context (Macro + Industry)

1.1 Why Fake Sellers Exist

Because:

• Buyers are desperate for low prices

• Buyers don’t understand procedures

• Brokers forward everything without verifying

• Scammers can copy documents in 10 minutes

• Buyers ask for POP before KYC, enabling scammers to fake everything

• Buyers want “no upfront, no POF, but full POP”

Fake sellers thrive because buyers don’t understand how real petroleum logistics and compliance work.

1.2 Real Sellers Are Extremely Rare

A real seller must have:

• A real tank lease

• A real refinery allocation

• A real terminal operations contract

• A real ATV/CPA with the tank farm

• A real storage invoice

• A real title holder contract

• A real compliance department

Most “sellers” you meet online have none of this.

1.3 The Market Is Brutal Toward Inexperienced Buyers

Real sellers use strict filtration:

• Incomplete KYC → rejected

• Wrong procedure → rejected

• Unrealistic prices → rejected

• Broker chains → rejected

• No POF → rejected

This filtration is also why fake sellers survive:
They tell uneducated buyers exactly what they want to hear.

SECTION 2 — The Full A–Z Red Flag List (2025 Edition)

Here is the complete, institutional list used by NNRV to filter fake sellers in less than 60 seconds.

🔴 RED FLAG #1 — Seller Asks for Any Upfront Fee

Terms like:

• “Tank activation fee”

• “DIP test fee”

• “Reservation fee”

• “POP courier fee”

• “Injection fee”

• “Pre-SGS fee”

A real seller never asks for upfront money.

🔴 RED FLAG #2 — POP Before SPA

If a seller offers:

• Full POP

• Tank numbers

• TSR

• Q&Q

• Inspection report

…before SPA + KYC + POF, they are fake.

Real POP is extremely sensitive and cannot be issued early.

🔴 RED FLAG #3 — Editable POP or DTA Documents

If POP/DTA is:

• Word file (.docx)

• Not watermarked

• Missing terminal code

• Not issued by terminal

• Sent via WhatsApp

→ It is fake.

🔴 RED FLAG #4 — Sellers Using Free Email Domains

Examples:

• @gmail.com

• @outlook.com

• @yahoo.com

• @mail.ru

Real sellers ALWAYS use company domains (@company.com).

🔴 RED FLAG #5 — Their Price Is Below Market Reality

Examples:

• EN590 at Platts –$200

• Jet A1 at Platts –$100

• TTT at “discounted” rates

• CIF Asia cheaper than Rotterdam

There are no discounts in petroleum trading.

Prices below market → guaranteed scam.

🔴 RED FLAG #6 — Seller Displays “Too Much Flexibility”

Examples:

• Will follow buyer’s procedure

• No need for buyer tank

• No need for buyer POF

• “Don’t worry, we can adjust everything”

Real sellers never follow buyer procedures.

🔴 RED FLAG #7 — POP Documents Look Perfect… Too Perfect

Fake sellers love to send:

• Fake TSRs

• Fake SGS reports

• Fake Allocation Letters

• Fake refinery paperwork

These documents are usually:

• Too clean

• Too detailed

• Too generic

• Not dated

• Not traceable

Real POPs have terminal codes and traceable signatures.

🔴 RED FLAG #8 — Seller Refuses a Simple Verification Call

Real sellers have:

• Compliance department

• Operations department

• Logistics coordinator

• Trader manager

• Refiner liaison

Fake sellers hide behind WhatsApp.

🔴 RED FLAG #9 — Seller Cannot Explain TTT/FOB/CIF Procedures

If seller doesn’t know:

• The difference between DIP test and Q&Q

• When DTA is issued

• How SPA is validated

• What MT799 does

• What tank lease means

• What ATV/CPA is

• How injection works

They are fake.

🔴 RED FLAG #10 — Seller Cannot Provide Corporate Documents

Missing:

• Incorporation

• Company extract

• Tax certificate

• Office address

• Phone number

• Website

→ Not a seller.

SPECIAL SECTION — The Most Dangerous Red Flag of All

🔴 RED FLAG #11 — Seller Accepts “No POF”

Any seller who:

• Does not require MT799

• Does not require bank communication

• Does not request KYC

• Does not ask for corporate profile

…is 100% fake.

Real sellers cannot violate AML, compliance, or refinery rules.

SECTION 3 — NNRV Expert Analysis: How Real Sellers Behave

Real sellers ALWAYS follow:

• KYC

• SPA

• Partial POP

• POF (MT799/RWA/BCL)

• DTA

• DIP test

• CI

• MT103

• Injection/Loading

Fake sellers skip 80% of this.

NNRV uses over 52 fraud indicators to screen sellers automatically.

SECTION 4 — Step-by-Step Guide: How to Verify a Seller in 10 Minutes

Step 1: Request KYC From Seller

If they refuse → fake.

Step 2: Request Tank Farm Confirmation (No Sensitive Data)

If they cannot → fake.

Step 3: Request SPA Template

Fake sellers do not have real SPA.

Step 4: Request Compliance Structure

Real sellers have it. Fake sellers do not.

Step 5: Request Procedure Summary

If seller follows buyer’s procedure → fake.

Step 6: Ask 5 Technical Questions

Fake sellers collapse instantly.

SECTION 5 — 20 Buyer & Seller Questions (With Answers)

10 Buyer Questions

1. Why do fake sellers offer low prices?

2. Why do fake sellers request upfront fees?

3. Why do fake POPs look real?

4. When must a seller release POP?

5. What makes a POP real?

6. Why do fake sellers avoid video calls?

7. Why do fake sellers copy refinery logos?

8. Why do fake sellers avoid MT799?

9. Why do fake sellers disappear after POP request?

10. How do I verify tank existence? (NNRV can do it)

10 Seller Questions

1. How do I prove I’m real?

2. Should I accept buyers refusing KYC? (No)

3. Should I follow buyer’s procedure? (Never)

4. How do I protect my tank details?

5. How do I issue POP safely?

6. Should I accept buyers without MT799?

7. Which documents must match SPA?

8. How do I avoid fake buyers?

9. Should I allow WhatsApp-only deals?

10. Can NNRV filter real buyers? (Yes)

SECTION 6 — Proof & Institutional Credibility

These standards reflect real compliance protocols from:

• Vitol, Trafigura, Glencore, Gunvor, Mercuria, Shell, TotalEnergies

• Vopak, Oiltanking, VTTI, Koole, Jurong Island, Fujairah

• SGS, Intertek, Saybolt

• OFAC / EU / FATF AML / Basel III

• International Chamber of Commerce

This is how real petroleum trading actually works.

SECTION 7 — Professional Call to Action (CTA)

🚨 Need to Verify a Seller, POP, Tank, or Allocation Before You Engage?

NNRV Trade Partners provides:

• Seller legitimacy analysis

• POP verification

• Tank farm authenticity checks

• Allocation validation

• Procedure compliance review

• Anti-fraud screening

• Buyer & seller onboarding

📩 info@nnrvtradepartners.com
🌐 www.nnrvtradepartners.com

Mini FAQ (5 Critical Questions)

1. Can NNRV detect fake sellers in 2–10 minutes?
   Yes — instantly.

2. Can a fake seller show a real tank?
   Yes — stolen photos are common.

3. Can fake sellers produce POP?
   Yes — 99% of POP circulating is fake.

4. Is low price the #1 red flag?
   Yes — impossible discounts = fraud.

5. What is the safest method to protect myself?
   Let NNRV verify all documents before SPA.

Why Choose NNRV Trade Partners?

• Institutional compliance standard

• Fraud detection expertise (2025 protocols)

• Real refinery & tank farm access

• Seller & buyer protection

• Zero-fraud SWIFT alignment

• Global transaction supervision