How Aegis watches deal chats for scams

Aegis is EPICSWP's assistant for deal chats. It reads every deal chat, looks for the patterns that usually come before a scam, and warns the people involved.

What Aegis watches for

It looks for four kinds of message:

Off-platform contact requests

• "Message me on Telegram @username"
• "Let's talk on WhatsApp +1..."
• "Email me at [email protected]"
• "DM me on Snapchat"

External payment requests

• "Pay me directly on PayPal, it's faster"
• "Send to my CashApp: $username"
• "Venmo me at @username"

Phishing and credential harvesting

• "Send me your Google account password to verify"
• "I need your phone number to confirm"

Threats and coercion

• "Pay now or I'll report you"
• "I'll leak your info if you don't..."

The 3-strike system

The first time, Aegis only warns. Then it escalates.

On a first violation, Aegis posts a warning in the deal chat and notifies both parties, including the user who broke the rule. Nothing else happens yet.

On a second, it posts a more visible warning, the user's strike counter shows 2/3 on their profile, and staff are notified.

On a third, Aegis blocks the transaction. The deal is frozen until a moderator reviews it, both parties are notified, and the user's account may be flagged for suspension. The moderator decides what happens next.

What Aegis does not flag

Aegis is tuned to leave normal marketplace activity alone. It doesn't flag:

• the login for the account being sold (its email and password)
• 2FA backup codes for that account
• a recovery email or phone number set up just for that account
• talk about payment, such as "I'll fund escrow tonight"
• ordinary questions about the listing

Handing over the login of the account being sold is how a deal works. What isn't allowed is moving the deal or the payment off EPICSWP, or asking anyone for the passwords, 2FA codes or seed phrases of their own accounts.

Staff messages aren't checked

Aegis skips messages from admins and moderators. Staff don't go through the warning system.

You can ask Aegis for help

Type @Aegis in any deal chat to bring in the assistant. It can:

• explain where the deal stands and what happens next
• suggest whether a dispute makes sense
• translate messages between languages
• summarize the deal's timeline
• answer questions about the escrow rules

Its replies carry a violet "Aegis AI" badge. Aegis can also summarize a case for the moderator, but a human moderator makes every dispute decision.

Privacy

Aegis reads messages only in deal chats, not private messages or listing descriptions. Messages are processed as they arrive and aren't kept beyond the chat history itself.

When Aegis warns you

Take it seriously. Stop, read the warning, and keep the conversation and the payment on EPICSWP. If the deal feels wrong, either side can open a dispute before the buyer confirms receipt.