Why use one
In a direct deal, someone has to go first, and whoever goes first takes all the risk. A middleman removes that. Insisting on one also scares most scammers away, because they can't win a deal where an independent person holds the funds.
How an MM deal runs
- Agree terms in writing: price, what's included (original email, recovery details, capes, badges, data exports) and who pays the fee.
- Pick a Trusted MM from OGU's Team page. Contact them through the Telegram or Discord button on their on-site profile, never through a handle someone else sends you.
- Confirm on-site. PM the middleman on OGU and check that the reply matches who you're talking to, and cross-check in the official MM Telegram hub.
- Usually a group chat is set up between the buyer, the seller and the MM, where the terms are restated.
- The buyer pays the MM, and the MM confirms they received it.
- The seller hands over the account, and the buyer secures it fully while the funds are still held (see Security).
- The buyer confirms, the MM releases the funds, and both sides leave vouches that link the thread.
Fees
| Deal size | Typical fee (5%) |
|---|---|
| $50 | $5 (minimum) |
| $500 | $25 |
| $5,000 | $250 |
| $50,000 | $2,500 |
OGU's Member Handbook gives the standard as 5% of the deal with an $8 minimum. Two Trusted MMs currently publish 5% with a $5 minimum (one charges a flat $5 under $100), paid upfront and non-refundable. Other MMs set their own terms in their threads. Swaps, such as moving a username between accounts, are often priced separately.
Verifying a middleman
Do
- Open contact from the MM's on-site profile button.
- Get confirmation by OGU PM.
- Compare stable IDs: Discord user ID and Telegram user ID.
- Check the official MM Telegram hub.
Don't
- Trust a name or profile picture. Both can be copied.
- Copy and paste a handle someone sends you. It may use lookalike characters.
- Use an MM the other side insists on who isn't Trusted or Staff.
- Assume an old handle still belongs to the same person. At least one MM's former Telegram handle has been sold.
Red flags during a deal
- The middleman won't confirm on OGU.
- You're asked to pay a "fee" or "insurance" to a different address than the escrow payment.
- Funds get released before the buyer has secured the account. This is at the center of a current $8k dispute.
- You're pressured to hurry ("the MM is going offline").
- The deal moves to a new chat with a "new" MM partway through.
The current Trusted list and stats are on Who's who.