Your inbox is full of it: slick emails pushing EN590, Jet A1, LNG, Mazut, and a dozen other products from Rotterdam, Fujairah, Houston, and “various ports in the Middle East.” They ask for an ICPO, they promise flexible CIF or FOB, and they sign off with two WhatsApp numbers and a free mailbox. These messages are not from traders. They are from bot farms. The same networks manufacture fake supply and fake demand, then trap brokers in a paperwork circus that never closes.
Because of this structure, genuine suppliers never cold-email for buyers. Sales are managed by commercial teams and banks inside established relationships.
Real cargoes price to market on the lift date or a set window. You might see cents-per-barrel or small percentage adjustments for quality, freight, or storage economics. You will not see deep, public discounts offered to unknowns over WhatsApp. When you see “Jet A1 at less 20 percent,” you are looking at a bot farm pitch.
“Are you in need of petroleum products, or do you represent a buyer?”
“We currently have available allocations for EN590 10PPM, Aviation Fuel, D6 Virgin Fuel… FOB terms.”
“Our refineries can deliver promptly to any safe world port under CIF, FOB, and TTO terms.”
“Submit an Irrevocable Confirmed Purchase Order (ICPO) upon acceptance of our seller procedures.”
“Loaded vessel in high sea ready for serious buyer to take over the vessel.”
| Real petroleum trade | Bot farm scam |
|---|---|
| Term contracts, vetted counterparties, bank lines in place | Cold emails to strangers harvested by bots |
| Corporate emails, credit procedures, compliance | Gmail, Yahoo, Mail.ru with mismatched phone country codes |
| Index pricing (Platts/Argus) with tight diffs | Fantasy “less 10 to 30 percent” discounts |
| Specific grades and ports tied to refinery runs | Lists of 10+ products from 6+ ports worldwide |
| B/L, Q&Q, inspector of record, bank-to-bank settlement | ICPO, SCO, NCNDA, then a “small” upfront fee |
The bot farm market is closed-loop fiction. The seller is fake. The buyer is fake. The only real people are the brokers grinding through NCNDAs, procedures, and group chats. Time is burned, reputations are dented, and some pay bogus fees. That is the whole game.
| Signal | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| “Allocations available” across multiple continents | Scripted bot farm copy, not how refinery scheduling works |
| Requests for ICPO before KYC or credit | They want paperwork theater, not a transaction |
| “High-sea” takeovers | Title chains do not move that way, ever |
| Two WhatsApp numbers from different countries | Throwaway comms rotated to dodge spam filters |
| Gmail or Mail.ru for a so-called refinery mandate | No corporate infra, no bankable counterparty |
Need a fast verdict on a petroleum pitch? We issue a two-page verification memo that states the facts and calls the fraud. No fluff.
Request a Verification MemoWant a training deck for your staff on bot farm commodity scams with real examples and a red-flag checklist?
Get the Training PackFinancely Group is an advisor and arranger to verified, post-revenue clients. We do not broker petroleum products and we do not guarantee funding or trade outcomes. All work is subject to KYC/AML, sanctions screening, legal review, and a signed engagement. Private, professional audiences only.
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promptly reviewed, and all communications are conducted through the intake form or the client portal for a seamless and secure process.
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Advisory services are reserved for post-revenue companies that recognize the time and resources required for professional underwriting.
All mandates start with an RFQ. We review submissions, issue a brief Go/No-Go memo, and where bankable, release a Term Sheet that leads to funding. We arrange capital across Senior Secured, Unitranche, Second Lien/Mezzanine, Preferred Equity, and Gap Solutions. We do not process deals by email or chat.
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Move forward to secure working capital and keep goods moving. Submit the RFQ to start underwriting for funding.
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Advance the file to termable status. Submit the RFQ so we can underwrite and secure funding.
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Get financed on workable terms for closing. Submit the RFQ to start underwriting.
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Move to a financeable package. Submit the RFQ to initiate underwriting for funding.
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Financely Inc. (“Financely”) provides corporate-finance advice and is wholly owned by Aurora Bay Trust, a trust formed under Bahamian law, together with its authorized affiliates. Depending on deal structure, jurisdiction, and local rules, engagements may be carried out through Financely Group LLC, a non-deposit-taking, non-banking financial company; Ashford Capital Advisory LLC; or another related entity.
Financely and its affiliates are not registered as securities broker-dealers and do not execute securities transactions or hold client funds or securities. When a mandate involves the purchase or sale of securities and a registered intermediary is required, any orders are introduced to and executed by one or more independent U.S. broker-dealers registered with the SEC and FINRA. Those broker-dealers are solely responsible for trade execution, custody, and related regulatory obligations. Nothing in this material constitutes an offer, solicitation, or recommendation to buy or sell any security or to engage in any specific transaction. Before engaging Financely Group LLC, Ashford Capital Advisory LLC, or any affiliate, you are responsible for confirming that such engagement complies with your own legal, regulatory, tax, and other requirements. In the United States, certain advisory activities may be conducted in reliance on exemptions available under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, including the “foreign private adviser” exemption where applicable. Our services and regulatory status may vary by jurisdiction and by transaction type.
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