A few days ago, in the middle of the night, a friend who has been in the circle with me for almost a year called me. His words were full of panic: "Bro, I just converted 200,000 USDT into cash and transferred it to my bank card. Just two hours later, the bank sent a message—'Non-counter transaction suspended,' and the money and card are frozen. I can't even check my account balance!"

He stared at the mobile banking app for half an hour. The numbers were still there, but his heart was already cold.

This money was earned after countless sleepless nights. It wasn't lost in the market; instead, it got stuck at the final withdrawal step. That feeling—more painful than losing money directly.

Many people in the crypto circle only watch the red and green lights on the trading screen, thinking that holding through volatility means everything is fine. Little do they know, the real trap isn't in the market—it's that you've actually made money but can't get it out.

**Where is the root of the problem?**

The phrase "funding chain contamination" explains everything. Some use scam accounts or laundered black money to buy USDT. This money changes hands multiple times, passing through your wallet. On the surface, it looks normal, just like regular transactions. But as soon as there's an upstream issue—if any link in that chain encounters trouble—all the accounts involved can be frozen by the bank's risk control system.

The bank's logic is simple: once they suspect the source of funds, they freeze first and ask questions later. It doesn't matter whose fault it is; the money gets frozen.

But here's the key point: **Account freezing ≠ you breaking the law**.

As long as you can provide screenshots of OTC transactions, chat records with the counterparties, and detailed transfer receipts, over 80% of accounts can go through the unfreezing process. The process can be a bit frustrating—having to go to the bank, cooperate with police inquiries, taking from two to three weeks, or even three to five months. It consumes time and energy, exhausting your patience.

Instead of waiting to be frozen and then trying to fix it, it's better to manage risks in advance.

**Here are three defensive lines you must establish:**

**First line: Prepare a "dedicated transaction card"**

Don’t mix OTC funds with your salary card or daily spending cards. Use a dedicated card for OTC transactions. If something goes wrong, at most, only this card's transactions are restricted, and your main living account remains unaffected. Many experienced traders follow this routine.

**Second line: Choose merchants carefully**

Prioritize reputable, long-standing merchants with over a year of transaction history. Don’t just save a few points on exchange rates by dealing with new accounts or accounts with no history. These small savings often hide big risks.

**Third line: Pay attention to details in operations**

Don’t transfer large amounts in one go. Break it into several smaller transactions. Try to operate during weekdays and daytime—this is when the bank’s risk control logic is clearest, and abnormal transactions are easier to identify accurately. After the transfer, wait and observe for three to five days to see if there are any unusual deductions. Also, be careful with the wording in transfer remarks—use common phrases like "payment for goods" or "technical service fee" instead of straightforward terms like "OTC transaction."

In the end, many people in the crypto world know how to make money, but only those who can safely withdraw their funds from exchanges and put them into their own pockets truly understand how to live smart.

Don’t wait until your funds are frozen to start fixing the problem—that’s too late. Start doing these detailed preparations now; they are far more valuable than any post-incident operation.

In the current market, topics like privacy coin ecosystems, Bitcoin liquidity, and US economic data are constantly changing. But the importance of fund security always comes first. Although coins like ZEC and LIGHT are gaining popularity, the prerequisite is that your assets can move freely in and out.

In the future, either earn more or learn to protect what you already have.