#pocket-option

Pocket Option asking for 'advanced trading license' fee to release my withdrawal? Scam or legit?

Hi everyone, I'm feeling really stressed out right now. I've been trading binary options with Pocket Option for a few months, and honestly, things seemed okay initially. I even made some decent profits. I finally decided to try and withdraw a substantial amount – about $7,000 – from my account. I followed all their steps, submitted ID, everything. Then, I got an email saying my withdrawal was 'pending approval' but that I needed to pay an 'advanced trading license fee' of about $500 before they could process it. They said it's a new regulatory requirement for accounts over a certain profit threshold. This sounds super suspicious to me, but I really want my money back. Has anyone else experienced this with Pocket Option or any other platform? Is this a new scam tactic? I'm in Singapore and feeling pretty helpless. Any advice would be so appreciated.