Trading platform not paying out: do not pay again, check your claims
The balance is showing in the dashboard, the payout is not coming — instead there are new demands, a blocked account or silence from support? This pattern is well known, and the plan is clear: pay nothing more, secure the evidence, have your claims assessed. Which steps are open in your case is what we clarify in a free initial assessment.
Have your case checked — free, in 3 steps
- No guarantee of success
- No cold calling
- Transparent costs
- Confidential & GDPR-compliant
What to do when the platform will not pay out
In short
Pay nothing further, no matter how the demand is labelled. Secure the trading history, all correspondence and your payment receipts, inform your bank, and have the provider and your claims examined legally. Every additional payment increases the loss without bringing the payout closer.
The decisive point
Why topping up is almost always the wrong move
No genuine provider demands money from outside your balance. Taxes and fees are settled against the credit held. A payment demanded up front, to a third-party account, in order to release your own money is one of the clearest indicators of fraud — and it is designed to be repeatable.
The mechanism is deliberate. Each payment creates a sunk cost that makes the next demand feel more reasonable: having already paid the “tax”, paying the “transfer fee” seems a small step to protect the larger sum. This is why the loss in such cases frequently exceeds the original deposit by a wide margin.
Immediate measures
- 01Make no further payment, and end the conversation if pressured
- 02Export or screenshot the full trading and transaction history
- 03Save all e-mails, chats, phone numbers and the platform address
- 04Inform your bank or card issuer and ask about the options
- 05Do not close the account and do not delete access credentials
- 06Have the provider checked and your claims assessed legally
Legal basis
When a refused payout becomes a legal case
A refused payout is not in itself a criminal offence — a genuine dispute over a contract can exist. It becomes a fraud case where deposits were obtained through deception: displayed profits that never existed, an invented business model, or demands for payment that serve only to extract more money. That is fraud under § 263 StGB.
- Licensing requirement. Where the platform conducted licensable business in Germany without authorisation, § 32 KWG is breached — a protective statute, which can found claims under § 823(2) BGB.
- Securing assets. In criminal proceedings, assets can be secured through confiscation and asset freezing (§§ 73 et seq. StGB, §§ 111b et seq. StPO).
- Access to the file. Through a lawyer, injured parties can obtain access to the investigation file under § 406e StPO — often the decisive source of information on operators, accounts and payment flows.
- Civil claims under § 823(2) BGB and § 826 BGB, and along the payment route depending on how you paid.
Time matters twice over: practically, because funds move on; and legally, because claims are generally time-barred three years after the end of the year in which you learned of the damage and the party responsible (§§ 195, 199 BGB).
Honesty instead of promises
What we do not promise you
Whether money can be reclaimed depends on whether those responsible can be identified and whether assets can be secured. A guarantee is impossible — and anyone offering one after a blocked payout is, as a rule, preparing the next demand.
- No guarantee of success
- Reputable legal work comes without guarantees. We tell you honestly which steps stand a chance in your case — and which do not.
- No cold calling
- We never contact fraud victims unsolicited. Anyone who calls you out of the blue promising to recover your money is very likely a fraudster themselves.
- Transparent costs
- Fees follow clear rules — the German statutory fee scale (RVG) or a written agreement — and are explained before any work begins. No hidden upfront charges.
- Confidential & GDPR-compliant
- Your information is treated confidentially and processed exclusively within the EU.
Common questions
Refused payouts — questions we are often asked
Should I pay the taxes the platform is demanding?
No. There is no legitimate arrangement in which a provider requires a payment from outside your balance before releasing your own money. Genuine providers settle taxes and fees against the credit held. A demand for advance payment on a third-party account is one of the clearest indicators of fraud — and every payment made typically triggers the next demand.
Does the displayed profit actually exist?
Frequently not. Where the platform controls the interface entirely, the figures shown say nothing about real positions. In many cases the deposits were never invested at all. That is unwelcome news, but it matters: it shifts the question from “how do I get my profit out” to “where did my deposit go and who is liable for it”.
What can be done legally?
Depending on the case: a criminal complaint with a view to securing assets, access to the investigation file through a lawyer under § 406e StPO, civil claims against those responsible, and steps along the payment route. Which of these carries weight depends on the provider, the payment method and the timing — that is exactly what the initial assessment clarifies.
How quickly do I need to act?
Quickly. In the first days there are the best prospects of stopping payments, having accounts frozen or still identifying funds. Civil claims are generally time-barred three years after the end of the year in which you learned of the damage and the party responsible (§§ 195, 199 BGB), with different periods possible in individual cases.
Someone has offered to get the payout released — is that genuine?
Almost certainly not. Once a payout has been blocked, so-called recovery providers frequently appear promising exactly that release against advance payment. This is a second fraud built on the first. Reputable help never approaches you unsolicited and never guarantees an outcome.
Free initial assessment
Describe your case — free initial assessment
Bullet points are enough. You will get an assessment of which steps come into consideration in your case — free and without obligation.
Free and without obligation. Costs only arise if you expressly instruct us afterwards — the fee under the RVG or a written fee agreement is discussed with you in advance. If you hold legal expenses insurance, we check the cover for you.
Who we can act for
We are admitted in Germany and act under German law. We can normally help when at least one of these is true: you live in Germany, you paid from a bank or exchange account in Germany or the EU, or a company, bank or payment provider involved is based here. For people in Austria or Switzerland we can act where the case has a connection to Germany or the EU — a bank, a payment provider or a party based here. If none applies, say so in your enquiry — we will tell you plainly whether we can act.
Your next step
Have your case reviewed before you pay anything else
Tell us which platform is not paying out, what is being demanded of you and how you deposited. Until you hear from us: do not pay again.
Free and without obligation. Costs only arise if you expressly instruct us afterwards — the fee under the RVG or a written fee agreement is discussed with you in advance. If you hold legal expenses insurance, we check the cover for you.
No guarantee of success — but a clear assessment. Your data is never passed on and is processed exclusively within the EU.
- 01You describe your case — online or by phone
- 02We get back to you promptly
- 03You receive an initial assessment — free and without obligation