How to check if a Steam trader is a scammer

The 60-second version

Paste the profile into a trust checker, confirm the account is old enough and has no trade restrictions, make sure the profile you are looking at is the same account that messaged you, and never move the conversation or the trade off Steam.

1. Confirm you are looking at the right account

Impersonation is one of the most common tricks. Scammers copy a trusted trader's name and avatar, then add you from a brand-new profile. A display name proves nothing, because anyone can use any name.

Compare the SteamID64 (the 17-digit number starting with 7656119) from the profile that messaged you with the one in the profile you trust. A custom URL can be changed at any time, so it is a weak identifier. Our guide to Steam ID formats explains how to find and convert them.

• Open the profile from the chat or trade offer itself, not from a link someone sends you.
• Check the SteamID64 against a known-good source such as the trader's forum thread.
• Treat a "new" account claiming to be an established trader as hostile until proven otherwise.

2. Look at account age and level

Scam accounts are cheap to create and are discarded quickly, so age matters. An account created last month with a low level is not necessarily a scammer, but it has no history to lose.

A high level and long history are harder to fake, though not impossible: hijacked old accounts are a known problem, which is why we never rely on age alone.

3. Check VAC, game and trade bans

Steam publishes ban information on public profiles and through its Web API. A VAC ban is permanent and relates to cheating, not scamming, but it does say something about the account's behaviour. More relevant to trading is the economy (trade) ban state, which can be "none", "probation" or "banned".

An account that is banned from trading cannot complete trades with you at all. One on probation has been restricted by Valve and deserves extra caution.

4. Check reputation lists and community reports

SteamRep closed at the end of 2024, but the BANNED and CAUTION tags it collected were released as an archive. TradeProof imports that archive and adds new community reports, so a profile that was tagged years ago still shows up.

Remember the limits: a list only knows about scammers who have already been caught. A clean result means "no known problems", not "safe".

5. Notice a private profile or hidden inventory

Many legitimate players keep their profile private, so this is not proof of anything. But if someone wants to trade with you and will not let you see their account age, level or inventory, you are being asked to trust them with nothing to base it on.

6. Watch how they behave in the conversation

Most scams rely on pressure and moving you somewhere you are less protected.

• Urgency: "this deal ends in 10 minutes".
• Asking you to use an external site, "middleman" or tool you have not chosen yourself.
• Asking you to log in anywhere other than the real Steam site or client.
• Offers that are far better than the market price.
• Reluctance to trade through normal Steam trade offers.

7. Read the trade offer itself

Before you confirm, open the offer and check every item, quantity, wear and sticker or charm. An item switch works by replacing what you agreed to with something that looks similar. Confirm in your Steam Guard Mobile Authenticator only after you have read the final contents.

Use the checks together

TradeProof combines account age, ban record, level, game library, profile quality and community standing into one transparent score, and shows the breakdown so you can see why. It is a decision aid, not a guarantee. Paste any profile on the home page to run the first four checks in about two seconds.