What should I do if my bank card is frozen?

Frozen generally falls into two categories: bank risk control frozen and judicial authority frozen.

Why is bank card frozen and how do I address it?

• Reason for frozen

1. In some countries and regions, banks don't allow bank accounts to participate in digital asset trading. If an account is involved in digital asset transactions (for example, when transferring with notes like USDT, ETH, Bitcoin, etc.), it may trigger the bank's risk control, resulting in the freezing of the bank card or suspension of certain transaction permissions.

2. If a bank account shows large transfer amounts (for example, large transfers late at night, frequent transactions with multiple parties, or a long period without a balance), it may also trigger the bank's risk control, leading to the freezing of the bank card or suspension of certain transaction permissions.

• How do I address it?

You can contact your bank to inquire about the reason for the freeze and how to lift it. Please bring the required documents requested by the bank and cooperate with them. Generally, the frozen will be lifted within about 3 business days.

What's the reason for judicial frozen and how do I handle it?

• Reason for frozen

This usually happens because there're risky funds involved. The police freeze all related bank accounts along the transfer path of those funds.
For example, if the victim's funds were sent to bank account A, and then A transferred to bank account B, B to C, and so on to D, E, and F, it's possible that accounts A, B, C, D, E, and F could all be frozen. However, B, C, D, E, and F may be unaware of the source of these funds.

• There're two types of judicial freeze status:

1. Police temporarily freeze (36 hours - 72 hours)

Solution: Generally, this means your card isn't directly receiving the funds in question. Please be patient; it will automatically unfreeze when the time is up.

2. The police may request the people's court to be frozen assets for a period of six months to one year, which can be extended until the case is concluded or withdrawn.

Solution: You can contact the judicial department to inquire about how to unfreeze your account. If the judicial department requires relevant materials, you can ask them to provide a police officer's certificate, a case decision document, and a notice for evidence collection (photos or scans of these documents are acceptable). Please send these to evidence@okx.com. Our team will follow up on your issue and actively cooperate with the police in handling the case.

Note: after your account is frozen, contact your bank or the bank's hotline to obtain information: the duration of the freeze, the type of freeze (bank freeze or judicial freeze), and the authority that imposed the freeze.

How do I prevent my card from being frozen?

• You don't need to include any notes when making a transfer

• Avoid using common bank cards or salary cards to prevent them from being frozen, which could affect your daily life.

• Try to avoid making large transfers late at night, frequent transactions with multiple people, or keeping your bank account for long periods without a balance.

• Since you are trading on the platform but your funds don't go through it, to prevent your funds from coming into contact with unusual funds, it's recommended to set higher thresholds for your counterparty conditions when placing ads. Additionally, require the other party to use their real-name account for payments during transactions.