Multi-Account Trading Ethics & Anti-Collusion Policies
Trading multiple prop accounts is allowed. Colluding across accounts is not. Prop firms draw a hard line between “normal multi-account trading” and “coordinated cheating,” and they ban fast when traders cross it. If you don’t understand the difference, you’re one mistake away from getting every account you own terminated.
What Prop Firms Consider Normal Multi-Account Trading
Prop firms allow you to trade multiple accounts as long as:
- the accounts belong to YOU
- the trades are executed independently or through an approved copier
- you follow scaling and size rules per account
- you don’t create artificial market influence
This is common — most funded traders run account “stacks.”
What Prop Firms Consider Collusion
Collusion means two or more traders coordinating executions to create:
- synthetic leverage
- manipulated order flow
- artificial liquidity
- risk-masking behavior
Even if the traders claim they aren’t manipulating anything, the firm only cares about the pattern.
Collusion Behaviors That Get You Banned
1. Opposing Each Other’s Orders
If one trader buys size and another instantly sells size to “fill” them, that’s collusion. The firm treats this exactly the same as market manipulation.
2. Coordinated Entries to Push Price
Two traders firing the same entries at the same time to create pressure is detectable through correlation analysis.
3. Running Mirror Positions Across Different Traders
Identical timestamps across accounts tied to different people = instant suspicion.
4. Using a Copier Without Accounts Being Verified to One Trader
If Trader A is copying Trader B’s entries without both accounts being owned by one person, the firm views it as a coordinated trading group.
5. Passing Accounts Around
“My brother traded my account for one day” Prop firms catch this instantly through device fingerprints.
How Prop Firms Detect Collusion
Risk desks run correlation monitoring exactly like described in risk desk monitoring. They check:
- timestamp alignment
- instrument overlap
- shared IP addresses
- device signatures (MAC, hardware IDs)
- latency fingerprints
- entry/exit correlation ratios
If your trades match another trader more tightly than chance allows, you’re flagged.
Device Fingerprinting: The Silent Killer
Prop firms track hardware IDs and login fingerprints. If five “different” accounts log in from the same device → banned. If the same device trades two people’s accounts → banned.
This is the most common way collusion gets caught.
Trading Groups & Signal Rooms
Prop firms consider the following collusion:
- Discord trading rooms calling entries
- Signal services pushing exact timestamps
- Telegram copycat groups
- “Everyone long now” type communities
Even if you think you’re just “following analysis,” the timing correlation is enough to get you banned.
How to Stay Clean With Multiple Accounts
- only copy YOUR OWN accounts
- don’t share logins, ever
- avoid trading from the same device as another trader
- don’t match entries with friends or family
- don’t run coordinated hedge games between accounts
If you need a copier, use an approved one tied to your verified identity.
Final Takeaway
Multi-account trading is allowed. Multi-trader coordination is not. If your trading looks like a team effort, the firm kills every account connected to you — fast.