Advance fee
A request to pay before any goods or documents move.
Warning signs:
- “Pay a fee to release the goods”
- An urgent deadline
Trust & safety
Scam patterns
Learn the common trade scams, such as fake suppliers, changed bank details and advance-fee requests, and how to spot them before you pay.
- 8 patterns
- Messages checked
- A person decides
Patterns we watch for
Changed bank details
New account details late in the deal.
Warning signs:
- A new account in another name or country
- Sent by email only
Deposit off the platform
A push to send the deposit outside aLTlas.
Warning signs:
- “Pay directly, it’s faster”
- Asks to move to WhatsApp
Fake supplier
A company that doesn’t exist or isn’t who it says.
Warning signs:
- No verification level
- Prices far below market
Fake documents
Forged bills of lading, certificates or inspection reports.
Warning signs:
- Details don’t match the deal
- Refuses independent inspection
Impersonation
Someone posing as a known company or the aLTlas desk.
Warning signs:
- A look-alike email domain
- Asks for passwords or codes
Sample switch
Good samples, then a poor shipment.
Warning signs:
- Refuses pre-shipment inspection
- No inspection in the contract
Overpayment refund
Pays too much, then asks for the difference back.
Warning signs:
- Overpayment, then a refund request
- A cheque or card that later bounces
What happens to a held message
- 01
Message flagged
Words like an advance fee, a bank change or “pay outside” hold the message.
- 02
A person checks
A named person at the desk reads it. A hold never closes a case or clears anyone.
- 03
You’re told
Both sides see the outcome, and the desk can step in.
aLTlas never holds your money and never asks you to pay a deposit to us.
How to stay safe
- 01
Keep payments and messages in the deal room
- 02
Confirm any bank change by phone on a number you already have
- 03
Check the verification level before you trade
- 04
Use verified providers for inspection and finance
- 05
Report anything that feels wrong
Something feels wrong?
Reports go straight to the desk and are never published.
Verification confirms identity and documents at a point in time. It does not guarantee financial standing, performance, the goods or the outcome of a deal.