#broker-fraud

My 'broker' is asking for a 'security deposit' to release my crypto. Is this a new scam tactic?

Hey everyone, feeling pretty sick to my stomach right now. I invested a decent chunk of crypto, about 10 ETH initially, with a broker I found through a friend of a friend. Everything seemed great, the profits were showing up in my account dashboard, you know the drill. It looked like I'd made a really good return, low five figures USD equivalent. So, I tried to withdraw some of it, maybe 2 ETH, just to see how it worked. Now they're telling me I need to pay a "security deposit" to unlock my funds for withdrawal. They said it's like an insurance against market volatility during the transfer or something, and that I'll get it back once the funds land in my personal wallet. It's about 15% of my total account balance. I'm in Dubai, and I've heard of these 'tax' and 'commission' fees, but this 'security deposit' thing feels... different. Is this just another scam angle? What can I do? I'm worried sick.