What should you do if you’re asked to pay a large withdrawal fee to release money invested in an online copy-trading scheme?

Consumer Protection

Tony Attorney

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Based on the details you've shared, specifically the demand for a massive "withdrawal fee" before you can access your own funds, this has the classic hallmarks of an advance fee scam, often associated with fraudulent "pig butchering" or "copy trading" schemes. Conduct like this, using electronic communications and wire transfers to carry out a scheme to defraud someone of money, can also amount to federal wire fraud under 18 U.S.C. § 1343, which is why law enforcement agencies take these reports seriously.

In a legitimate trading environment, withdrawal fees are typically a small, fixed percentage or flat fee (for example, $20 to $50) that is deducted from your account balance, never paid separately upfront.

Immediate critical steps:

Stop sending money. Do not pay the $20,000 fee. Scammers often claim this is for "taxes," "insurance," or "activation," but once paid, they will likely invent a new reason why you need to send more.

Do not confront them yet. If they realize you know it's a scam, they may immediately delete the Discord server, block you, and vanish. Secure your evidence first.

Preserve all evidence. Download your entire Discord chat history with the trader and any group messages. Save screenshots of the trading platform dashboard showing your balance. Keep all records of the wire transfers, including bank receipts, recipient names, and account numbers.

How to report this:

Since you mentioned wiring money in late 2025, time is of the essence for law enforcement to track the funds.

IC3 (FBI): File an official complaint at ic3.gov. This is the primary database for internet and investment fraud in the U.S.

Contact your bank. Inform your bank's fraud department immediately. While wire transfers are difficult to reverse, they need to flag the recipient account and may be able to coordinate with the receiving bank if the funds haven't been moved yet.

FTC: Report the scam at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

SEC/CFTC: Since this involves trading and investing, you should also submit a tip to the SEC's TCR system.

A warning on "recovery scams": Now that you have been targeted once, you may receive messages from people claiming to be "ethical hackers" or "recovery experts" who can get your money back for a fee. These are also scams. No legitimate entity can hack a blockchain or a bank to force a refund for a fee. Only law enforcement and official banking channels have any authority here.

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I follow an online trading personality on YouTube and joined his Discord server. He offered to let me copy his trades on a trading platform. He walked me through wiring money, and I took screenshots of everything. Now I want my money back, and he wants twenty thousand dollars for a withdrawal fee.

Lexi, Chatbot

I'm sorry to hear about your situation, it sounds very frustrating. Can you tell me when you made the initial investment and how much money you wired?

December 18, 2025. Sorry it took me so long to respond.

Lexi, Chatbot

Have you had any written agreements or terms of service from the trader or the trading platform regarding withdrawals?

Only through messages on Discord.

Lexi, Chatbot

Is there anything else the attorney should know before I connect you? Rest assured, they'll be able to help with your withdrawal issue.

No.

Tony Attorney

Hello! I'm Tony, an attorney and legal expert, and I'm here to assist you with your concerns regarding the withdrawal fee requested by the trader on the trading platform. I understand how important it is to handle this matter correctly, especially with the complexities involved in financial transactions and potential scams. Could you provide more details about any specific messages or agreements you have with the trader or the trading platform?

He first walked me through wiring money to a payment platform and never mentioned any fees. I did understand that he would get ten percent from every trade, and I was fine with that. Then he told me to open an account on the trading platform, and he moved my money without my consent.

Tony Attorney

Did the trader or the trading platform provide you with any written agreements or documentation regarding the transactions or the withdrawal process?

No.

Tony Attorney

I am very sorry you're going through this.

Tony Attorney

Immediate critical steps:

Stop sending money. Do not pay the $20,000 fee. Scammers often claim this is for "taxes," "insurance," or "activation," but once paid, they will likely invent a new reason why you need to send more.

Do not confront them yet. If they realize you know it's a scam, they may immediately delete the Discord server, block you, and vanish. Secure your evidence first.

How to report this:

Since you mentioned wiring money in late 2025, time is of the essence for law enforcement to track the funds.

IC3 (FBI): File an official complaint at ic3.gov. This is the primary database for internet and investment fraud in the U.S.

FTC: Report the scam at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

SEC/CFTC: Since this involves trading and investing, you should also submit a tip to the SEC's TCR system.

Devastating.

This guy is smart.

Tony Attorney

Certainly sounds like it.

Tony Attorney

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