#market-volatility-fee

My unregulated broker, OptionStarsGlobal, demands a 'market volatility fee' to withdraw profits. Scam?

Hi everyone, I'm feeling sick to my stomach about this. I've been trading with a company called OptionStarsGlobal for about six months now. They weren't regulated in the UK, which I know now was a huge red flag, but I got sucked in by the promise of high returns. I put in about £8,000, and they showed me some good profits, or at least that's what their platform said. When I tried to withdraw a significant portion – about £4,500 – they suddenly hit me with an email saying I needed to pay a 'market volatility fee' before any funds could be released. They're saying it's 10% of my total account balance. This sounds completely made up to me. Has anyone else encountered this specific fee? Is this just another tactic to get more money out of me before denying my withdrawal? I'm in Bristol, feeling pretty desperate for advice.