Copy Trading Detection
Identifying copied trades across accounts
Copy Trading Detection
Copy trading detection identifies accounts placing matching or near-matching trades — a sign of signal sharing, account management, or coordinated fraud.
What It Detects
The system uses fuzzy matching to find similar trades across different accounts. It doesn't require exact matches — slight variations are still caught.
Matching criteria:
- Same or similar trading symbol (e.g., EURUSD)
- Similar entry price (within tolerance)
- Similar entry time (within time window)
- Similar position size
- Similar stop loss levels
- Similar take profit levels
A high match score across multiple trades = likely copy trading.
Why Traders Do This
Reading the Flags
Each flag shows:
- Account A — first account login
- Account B — second account login
- Match Score — how closely trades match (higher = more suspicious)
- Matched Trades — number of trades that matched
A few matched trades might be coincidence (popular setups, obvious entries). Look for patterns — many matched trades over time is the red flag.
Investigation Steps
Note the Account Pair
Write down both login numbers.
Review the Matches
Look for:
- Timing — trades within seconds/minutes of each other
- Size — similar lot sizes
- Levels — matching SL/TP
- Frequency — one-off or repeated pattern
Check User Details
Are these accounts:
- Same email? (One person, multiple challenges — might be fine)
- Different emails, same IP? (Suspicious)
- Different emails, different IPs? (Coordinated group)
Make a Decision
Legitimate explanations:
- Popular trade setups (everyone buys EURUSD at round numbers)
- Same person, multiple challenges (check your rules)
- Coincidence on a few trades
Fraud indicators:
- Dozens of matched trades
- Precise timing (within seconds)
- Different identities but identical trading
- Cross-IP coordination
Taking Action
If you confirm copy trading:
Option 1: Fail Both Accounts
- Go to Account View for Account A
- Click Manual Events → Rule Violation
- Reason: "Copy trading detected with account [B login]"
- Repeat for Account B
Option 2: Fail + Blacklist
If it's egregious or repeat offenders:
- Fail both accounts (as above)
- Add both emails to the Blacklist
Option 3: Warning (Rare)
If evidence is weak or it's a first minor offence, you could:
- Send a warning via support ticket
- Note it in their account
- Monitor more closely
False Positives
Not every match is fraud. Consider:
| Situation | Likely Explanation |
|---|---|
| 2-3 matched trades on major pairs | Coincidence — popular setups |
| Same email, multiple accounts | One person, multiple challenges |
| Matched trades but wildly different sizes | Not coordinated |
| Matched entries, different exits | Might be same analysis, independent management |
Focus on patterns over time, not isolated incidents.
Configuring Detection
Detection thresholds are set by Propriotec during onboarding. If you're getting too many false positives or missing obvious fraud, contact support to adjust:
- Time window for "same time" matching
- Price tolerance for "same price"
- Minimum trades to flag
- Match score thresholds