Support replies with a straight face: withdrawal refused because the crypto wallet is “not yours”. The sentence borrows real compliance vocabulary. Financial Action Task Force guidance does expect virtual-asset businesses to think carefully about unhosted wallets. Crooked sites weaponise that vocabulary only after the coins have landed in their pocket.
The sequence is the evidence. They accepted the deposit address and amount without drama. Charts moved, balances grew, screenshots looked healthy. The ownership crisis appears precisely when you ask for an exit, and it arrives bundled with a cure you must fund — gas, tax, activation, insurance, a higher-tier review. U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and Commodity Futures Trading Commission warnings on fee scams say the same practical thing: do not send more money to unlock money you already sent.
Crypto’s irreversibility is why the script works. Once coins leave a genuine exchange toward the rogue desk, chargebacks are scarce. The “wallet is not yours” line is designed to convert that fear into another transfer, not to finish a know-your-customer file.
How to check: if ownership was never verified on the way in, a sudden block on the way out is not diligence. Demand a procedure that needs no fresh payment. Keep transaction IDs. Walk away from any chat that treats your next deposit as proof of identity.
Start at Get help. Paid unlock artists after the fact are the fake recovery sequel.
This article is for general information only. It is not legal or financial advice. Details change. If you have lost money, contact your bank or card issuer and use the routes on the help pages.