#maintenance-fee

My 'broker' is demanding a 'platform maintenance fee' to release my crypto profits. Is this a new scam tactic?

Hey everyone, I'm really getting worried here. I invested a decent amount of crypto – mostly ETH and some BTC – with a broker I found through a social media ad, tbh. They seemed legit at first, super responsive, good returns showing on their platform dashboard. I tried to make a withdrawal last week, just a small one to test the waters, and it got stuck. Now, their 'account manager' is telling me I need to pay a 'platform maintenance fee' of about 10% of my total balance before they can process *any* withdrawal. He says it's standard procedure for high-volume accounts and 'ensures smooth operation'. I'm in Abu Dhabi, and I've never heard of anything like this from any legitimate financial service. I'm feeling sick to my stomach, like I've walked right into something really bad. Has anyone encountered this specific fee before? Is this just another one of those tricks? I'm so desperate to get my money back.