Hotbit Asking For Deposit To Withdraw Funds Raises Scam Concerns

I recently discovered that the original Hotbit platform had closed down in 2023. I had previously used the Hotbit mobile application, where I held some funds and also made a last withdrawal of approximately $1,000 to a friend’s account. After that, I did not log in for a long time. When I later could not access my account, I assumed it was due to a forgotten password and I left it for a while. Today, I found a website at hotbit.us.com, created an account there and managed to log in. On this site, I can see a balance displayed in my name of $60,176, linked to my email address engelb***[email protected]. However, when I try to withdraw these funds, the platform states that I must first deposit a minimum of $500 to “activate” the account before I can make any withdrawal. I never received any official notification or email from the original Hotbit informing me about the closure, about any migration to a new domain, or about any requirement to deposit money to reactivate my account. For this reason, I am seriously concerned that hotbit.us.com may not be legitimate and that the requirement to deposit $500 in order to withdraw my existing balance may be a scam. My expectation is to have this situation investigated, to be clearly informed whether hotbit.us.com is an official continuation of the original Hotbit platform or not, and to be able to withdraw any legitimate funds associated with my previous Hotbit account without being forced to make an additional deposit. I request your assistance in clarifying the status of this website and in ensuring that I can safely access or recover my funds without exposing myself to potential fraud.