The market for Expert Advisors is unregulated, the buyers are hopeful, and the sellers know it. Certain phrases and presentations recur, and each is a reliable signal of something the seller would rather you did not examine.
Claims about results
A return figure with no drawdown beside it. A win rate above 85 per cent with no average winner and loser. "No losing months", which is achieved by not closing losing trades. Any promise of a monthly or yearly percentage. A backtest presented as if it were a live result, or a live result with no start date, no account type and no equity curve. A "verified" record that is verified by the seller. Any record that has been reset.
Claims about method
"Advanced AI", "neural networks", "machine learning" or "proprietary algorithms" offered in place of a description of what the EA does. "Smart recovery", "drawdown recovery", "hedging mode" or "basket close", which are names for grid and martingale. "Works in all market conditions", which no strategy does. "Set and forget" combined with a request for a large account to "avoid margin calls", which means the sizing is not under control.
Presentation
Countdown timers, "only 10 copies left", and a price that rises after each sale. Testimonials with first names and flags. A YouTube video of a rising balance curve with the equity hidden. Screenshots of a MetaTrader terminal cropped to remove the account number and type. A forum thread where every critical post is answered by the seller with a new set of settings.
The seller
No named developer. No refund policy or a refund policy with conditions that cannot be met. New optimised settings issued after every losing period. A history of previous EAs under other names. A "lifetime licence" for a product that will need maintenance for the rest of its life.
A listing reads: "AI-powered gold scalper. 94 per cent win rate. Verified results. No losing months in 2 years. Smart drawdown recovery. Only 7 copies left at this price." Every phrase is on this page. The 94 per cent win rate and no losing months point to held losses, the "smart recovery" confirms it, the verification is unspecified, and the scarcity is a sales device. There is no need to open the record.
None of these signals proves an EA is bad. Together they describe a seller who has chosen persuasion over evidence, and a buyer's time is better spent on sellers who chose the other way. The positive signals are the mirror image: a drawdown figure beside every return, a verified live record from a stated start, a plain account of the strategy, and a seller who answers the hard question first.