Lost $8,400 to what I thought was a crypto investment platform — warning

I joined a WhatsApp group through a friend's recommendation. People were posting screenshots of profits every day, someone was offering free "signals". They pointed me to aelexchange.com which looked completely legitimate — charts, live prices, deposit history, everything.

I put in $500 first. Within a week the platform showed it had grown to $780. I was excited. Put in another $3,000. Eventually my balance showed over $11,000.

When I went to withdraw, they said I needed to pay a "capital gains release fee" of 15% first. That's when my stomach dropped. I paid it — stupidly — and they asked for another fee for international wire processing. Never saw a cent.

The platform is still up as of when I'm writing this but I believe it's fake. Please do not send money to this site. I've filed reports with my bank and with Action Fraud but I don't expect to recover anything.