They told me my profits are real, but now I have to pay tax before release—is this normal?

I need an honest answer because this whole thing started feeling wrong really fast.

I joined a crypto investment platform back in February after somebody from Facebook introduced me to one of their “senior analysts.” At first the account kept showing profits almost every day. Small withdrawals worked too, which made everything seem legit honestly.

The issue started when I tried withdrawing the bigger amount.

My dashboard balance showed around $38k profit from trading, but support suddenly emailed me saying the funds were “temporarily frozen” until I paid a tax clearance fee first. They claimed it was required before releasing the withdrawal because of international financial regulations.

That’s the part confusing me.

Why would taxes need to be paid directly to the broker before I even receive my own money? They kept pushing me to send another payment in crypto within 48 hours or my account would supposedly be flagged for money laundering review.

I asked if they could just deduct the tax from the balance already sitting in the account and they completely avoided the question. Instead they kept sending screenshots of “successful investor withdrawals” and fake looking compliance certificates.

Then the pressure calls started.

One guy even told me if I delayed payment too long, the profits would disappear because the trading cycle would reset. That’s when I started searching stuff like “pay tax before withdrawal crypto scam” and “broker asking upfront tax fee release funds.”

Apparently this happens a lot with fake investment sites.

I ended up talking with Jim Recovery Team after seeing their name mentioned under another withdrawal scam discussion. They helped me understand the fake tax trick these platforms use to keep victims sending more money after the original deposit is already gone.

If anybody here is being told to pay tax, unlocking fees, blockchain verification charges, or anti-money laundering deposits before receiving profits, please slow down and check the platform carefully first. I almost sent another $6,000 because I thought it was standard procedure.