app.ptrade-us.com

Scammed out of 20K in a crypto scheme - need advice! Hey all! I'm in a dire situation and need your advice. A friend on Instagram (who turned out to be a hacker impersonating him) introduced me to a crypto trader promising 28% annual returns. I was convinced by our conversations and voice notes, and I ended up sending $20K to a platform called Plus500 (though the link seems fake now: https://app.ptrade-us.com/). Initially, it looked like I was making good returns, with a profit of $15K. But when I found out my friend's Instagram was hacked, I realized I'd been scammed. Now, the trader (named "Jay") and the platform are demanding $6K more for "taxes" on the profit before I can withdraw anything. I'm at a loss for what to do. Should I keep negotiating to get my initial capital back? Should I confront the guy and tell him I know it's a scam? Or is there something else I can do? $20K is the majority of my savings, and I'm feeling incredibly foolish for sending that much money. Any advice, legal or otherwise, would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much in advance!