The pitch usually arrives in a chat after you have already shown interest in crypto. Someone explains that your coins are “dirty”, that the exchange will freeze them, or that a free airdrop needs a “Web3” wallet first. The cure is always the same: withdraw to an address they supply, connect a wallet to a site they send, or join a so-called arbitrage path under labels such as MAXP, BTS and similar jargon. A few small returns may come back so you trust the next, larger send.
That is not how exchange anti-money-laundering (AML) works for ordinary customers. Coins sitting on a reputable platform have already passed the firm’s own checks. A random Telegram account cannot “whitelist” your balance by making you send it elsewhere. What a withdrawal does do is move control from the exchange’s custody to a blockchain address — often one the other party controls, or a contract that drains approvals you sign without reading.
Treat any unsolicited “AML check”, “Web3 unlock” or “bundle” that needs your deposit screenshot, API details or a seed phrase as hostile. Legitimate support does not cold-message you with a private wallet address. If you already showed an exchange screen, assume the other side can invent a lookalike deposit string; open the deposit page yourself and compare character by character.
Stop the chat, keep the hashes and usernames, and report through official channels rather than paying the next “cleaner” who promises to reverse the transfer.
Start at Get help for reporting routes. Read Fake recovery before you pay anyone selling a guaranteed clawback.
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.