#clearing-fee

My 'broker' is asking for a 'clearing fee' to release my profits. Is this legit or another scam?

Hi everyone, I'm really getting worried here. I've been trading with this 'broker' I found online for about three months now. Everything seemed fine, I even saw my account balance grow pretty significantly. When I tried to withdraw a portion of my profits last week, they told me I needed to pay a 'clearing fee' first. They said it's a standard procedure to cover the cost of transferring funds internationally and verifying the transaction. The amount is about 5% of my total profit, which is a few thousand euros. I already paid a 'tax deposit' a few weeks ago after they asked for it, and I'm feeling really uneasy about another fee. My partner thinks it's a total scam, and honestly, so do I now. Has anyone heard of a clearing fee? Or am I just getting strung along?