Making money in the cryptocurrency world may not be difficult, but when transferring funds back to traditional accounts, many newcomers encounter frustrating issues: a few months ago, a normal OTC transaction suddenly gets a fraud notification, leaving them confused and anxious. Today, let’s break this down and clarify this matter.
One, why was 'there was no problem at the time, but later something happened'? Let’s clarify the timeline.
Many people are puzzled: at the time of the transaction, the bank didn’t stop it and the platform didn’t issue a warning, so how did it 'explode' months later? The issue lies in the lag of fund tracing.
Fraud or gray market may use the victim's money to transfer funds to you, and you might think they are just ordinary buyers; they may also use 'third-party intermediary cards' or 'someone else's account', or the payment account does not match the actual entity. At this point, you receive payments and release coins, everything seems normal—after all, banks and platforms cannot determine in real-time whether this money is 'dirty money'.
But after a few weeks or even months, after the victim reports to the police, they will trace the transaction flow, and the bank will submit a suspicious transaction report. Following the funds, your account becomes one of the nodes, and the bank or police will contact you to explain the situation, even temporarily restricting your account.
Remember, this does not mean you are 'identified as a criminal', it’s just the traceability of the fund chain investigation at work.
Two, what operations easily make you 'named'? Be cautious of these points.
Not all OTC transactions will be monitored, but the following behaviors are more likely to trigger risks:
For example, frequently receiving money from strangers, constantly changing different bank cards, logging in from different places; transaction notes containing words like 'coin', 'USDT', 'digital currency', or consistently receiving large amounts of money at midnight; your account resembles a 'transit station', where money comes in and is immediately transferred out, mixing public and private collections; more critically, the payer's name does not match the platform's real-name authentication or even the person you are chatting with.
These seemingly insignificant details can make you a focus of investigation.
Three, don’t panic when you receive a fraud notification! This is the most reliable way to protect yourself.
If you encounter such a situation, stay calm and don’t be intimidated. Remember a few key principles:
Police or banks will not ask you to transfer money, nor will they ask for verification codes or online banking passwords; they will provide you with formal document numbers or unit names. If the other party makes such requests, hang up immediately and call the official number to verify. If they say 'let's chat privately' or 'remote screen sharing', there is a high probability of issues, so be vigilant.
Do not privately transfer money to unfamiliar accounts. Even if it is necessary to return the involved funds, it must go through accounts and processes designated by the police or court, and you must obtain a formal receipt or proof of case closure. You have the right to request the other party to provide formal documents or have the police explain the situation in writing; never engage in 'informal mediation-style transfers', to avoid falling into traps again.
If your account is temporarily controlled, do not resist; keep transaction records, chat records, and other evidence, and cooperating with the investigation can resolve the issue faster.
Four, what will happen next? Let’s clarify a few common outcomes.
After being notified of fraud, the outcome is not necessarily all bad; it mainly depends on the investigation situation:
If your materials are complete and transaction records are clear, after verification, you might be directly released, lifting doubts; your account might be temporarily controlled, restricting deposits and withdrawals, and ATM cash withdrawals, and will be restored after the investigation is complete; if the funds are indeed related to a case, the involved amount may be stopped or frozen, and you will have to wait for case progress; there is also a possibility of being listed for risk control observation, making future transactions more likely to be sampled, and at this time, you need to operate more correctly.
Different places have different processes and timelines, but the more thorough your materials are and the more professional your communication, the faster the processing will be.
Five, want to avoid pitfalls? Do these things to reduce the chances of being traced.
Rather than panicking afterwards, it’s better to take preventive measures in advance; these points can help you reduce risks:
Before trading, only use the official P2P or escrow features of mainstream platforms, check the buyer's order volume and positive feedback rate, and confirm their real name; only accept payments from accounts that match the buyer's platform real name, firmly reject third-party payments or company payments; break large transactions into smaller ones, and complete them in segments during the day; clarify with the other party in advance, and avoid using sensitive words in remarks, it's best to use neutral terms like 'order number'.
In transactions, confirm the payer's name and whether it matches the buyer's real name before releasing coins; keep chat records and payment evidence well, and it’s best to make a comparison list for large transactions.
Accounts and tools should also be isolated: specifically apply for a bank card to use for OTC payments, and do not mix it with personal or company accounts; use fixed equipment and log in to the network, and minimize operating from different locations or using different IPs; do not act as a 'nice person' helping others to collect and transfer funds, to avoid becoming a 'transit account'.
Ultimately, standardized operations are the most stable guarantee. When problems arise, staying calm and cooperating with investigations can make the flow of funds more secure.