AML freeze on a crypto deposit: why it happens and what to do

Why did the exchange freeze my deposit?

The exchange screens every deposit against analytics databases. If the address the money came from is flagged, the transaction goes to manual review. The flag may come from sanctions, fraud, a hack, a mixer, or transfers from addresses like these.

The email from the exchange usually follows one of these situations:

• buying USDT on P2P from a seller whose coins passed through flagged addresses
• a transfer from a friend or client who had received “dirty” funds themselves
• a withdrawal from a service the database rates as high-risk
• a deposit from your own wallet that once received money from dubious sources

In any of these, the account holder may have broken no rule. Yet the compliance team’s questions still land on them.

What does support usually ask for?

The documents depend on the exchange and the amount, but the logic is the same everywhere: show the lawful path the money took to your account. Most often you’re asked to explain where the funds came from and back it up.

• a written explanation in your own words: what the transfer was, who sent it, and what for
• transaction hashes and the addresses the money passed through
• for a P2P trade, screenshots of the chat, the order, and the bank statement showing payment
• proof of income or of the deal, if the amount is large
• a repeat identity verification

Be specific, and attach something that backs up each statement. Vague lines like “it’s my money” usually drag the review out.

What should I do if my transfer is frozen?

1. Don’t send new transfers from the same address, or to the same exchange, while the review is open.
2. Open a support ticket and ask exactly which documents they need.
3. Gather proof of where the funds came from: hashes, statements, the chat from the trade.
4. Keep it to one ticket and stick to the point; don’t open new ones.
5. Run an AML check on the sender’s address so you know what the conversation will be about.

Don’t try to “clean” the coins by moving them through a chain of other wallets or a mixer. Databases see those chains, and a question about where your funds came from turns into a far more serious one.

How can the review end?

It depends on the exchange’s rules and how convincing your documents are. The money may be credited after the review, returned to the sender’s address, or kept frozen where the law requires it. Timing varies too, with the compliance team’s workload and how complete your answers are.

We can’t speed up a review or lift a freeze. The service is independent and sees no exchange data. It has no ties to any of the databases it asks: Binance AML, AMLBot, PureFi, and TRM Labs. What we do is let you see the risk before the transfer.

How do I avoid another AML freeze?

The main rule: check an address before money arrives from it or leaves for it. When buying on P2P, ask the seller for the address the coins will come from and check it in advance. If it’s flagged, look for another deal.

Check your own wallet too before a large deposit. For frequent checks the Telegram bot is handier: send it an address and watch the report rows fill in.

Keep in mind that a report with no flags is still not a guarantee. Databases update every day, and the exchange applies its own rules on top of any outside check.