What do you think is the worst thing in the crypto world? Liquidation? Getting stuck?

None of those.

The worst thing is——having tens of thousands in unrealized gains on paper, wanting to cash out safely, only to find out the money can’t be withdrawn at all.

A few days ago, at 3 a.m., a friend of mine who has been trading for two years sent me over ten messages in a row. He just converted 300,000 USD via OTC into fiat and transferred it to his bank card. Less than half an hour later, his phone suddenly popped up a notification: “Non-counter transactions suspended, account status abnormal.”

What does that mean? His card was frozen.

The money is still in the account, not a penny less, but he can’t access it. That feeling is like holding the key at the door, but the lock has been changed.

He was completely stunned. He hasn’t pumped any meme coins, he didn’t participate in any Ponzi schemes, he’s been honest doing OTC trading—how did he get into this mess?

It was only after police involvement that it became clear— the money he received upstream might be linked to a scam case. The scammers washed the illicit funds into his account, and as the chain was traced, he became the “last link.” The scammers ran away, and his card was frozen as a precaution.

This kind of situation is truly hard to prevent.

But don’t panic too much. If you’re genuinely trading normally, in 90% of cases, your account can be unfrozen—by cooperating with the investigation, providing complete chat logs, transfer receipts, and transaction records, and verifying your innocence, the funds will be released. But this process usually takes at least a month or two, sometimes half a year. By then, the market has probably moved several rounds.

After experiencing this once, you’ll realize one thing: withdrawing funds is more important than trading itself.

Here’s how I do it now——

I specifically got a dedicated “OTC card.” This card is only used for trading, nothing else. No ordering takeout, no paying utilities, no transfers to friends, no linking to any shopping platforms. It’s as clean as a blank sheet of paper, so if there’s a problem, it’s easy to clarify.

For OTC trades, I only work with long-term partners, preferably those introduced by trusted contacts within the community. Don’t take orders from unfamiliar accounts just for a small exchange rate difference. You might make a profit, but what about the risk?

Large withdrawals? I never do it all at once. I split them into smaller batches, withdraw gradually, and after each transfer, I leave the funds in the card for two days before moving them again. Banks have abnormality monitoring; frequent large transactions within a short period will easily attract risk control attention.

You might think I’m being overly cautious.

But in this circle, I’ve seen too many people who made tens of thousands on paper, only to have their entire funds frozen at withdrawal. Complaints go nowhere, appeals fail, and unfreezing is a distant dream—the helplessness is more torturous than losing money.

Honestly, making money in crypto is only half the battle.

Getting your money safely, smoothly, and cleanly into your hands—that’s the real victory. Trading skills help you catch market opportunities, but awareness of fund safety is what keeps your profits intact.

There are many who know how to place orders, but only the seasoned veterans can confidently put the money in their pocket.