Consumer complaint received 2023-08-15
Company: Winklevoss Exchange LLC
State: CO
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service
Sub-product: Virtual currency
Issue: Money was not available when promised

Complaint:
On the cryptocurrency exchange Gemini ( XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX ) on XX/XX/XXXX I started a support ticket about a login block on my account, I said " When I login to Gemini on my desktop I get the message " To protect your account, this login has been blocked. Please try logging in from an approved device. '' I can login on my phone, but how can I approve my desktop so that I can login on there again? '' The same day I received access to my account. After waiting for my deposited funds from an ACH transfer on XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX respectively to be approved for withdrawal I went to withdraw the BTC I had purchased on the platform to my own custodial wallet. I had already withdrew BTC on my account the week prior from another set of ACH transfers that had been marked as " received '' by Gemini. When I went to go withdraw BTC to my own self custody again on XX/XX/XXXX I was met with an error telling me " Sorry, the BTC withdrawal can not be completed at this time. Reason : Security hold. Contact XXXX '' So, I did just that and reopened my ticket from XX/XX/XXXX. I was then told the following " Hi there, Thank you for following up! 

We reviewed your account and have a few questions. Please provide as much detail as possible : 1. How did you find out about Gemini?

2. Has anyone instructed you to open this Gemini account or has any one requested payment through Gemini?

3. Have you shared your account credentials with anyone?

4. Why did you open a Gemini account?

If you have recently attempted to withdraw and/or send funds to an external address, please provide the following information with as much detail as possible : Please be specific in describing the purpose of this withdrawal. For example, if the purpose of this withdrawal was to send funds to a third-party platform, include identifying details such as the name of the platform or website link.

5. How did you discover the wallet address?

6. Are you the owner of the wallet address? If you are not the owner, what is your purpose in withdrawing to the wallet address?

7. Did someone direct you to withdraw to this wallet address?

8. Do you have any other relevant information on this wallet address?

We look forward to hearing from you.

Onward and Upward, '' I responded to these questions, then later the same day I was asked the following : " Thank you for answering the requested questions.

Additionally, we ask that you submit a single photo ( saved as JPEG/JPG/HEIC file type ) that contains the following : 1. A view of your full face 2. Your ID that was used to register with Gemini.

3. A handwritten note that states the current date and says [ XXXX ] underneath Once you've taken a selfie that contains all of the above, please upload it via our secure Gemini Dropzone : [ REDACTED ] Please keep in mind that this must be XXXX photo that contains all of the above and not three separate photos. Once this is complete, please reply to this thread and I will escalate your case for expedited service. '' I then followed these steps and was met with the final response of : " Thank you for providing this information.

I am working with my team to resolve your issue regarding accessing your account. I will be sure to follow up as soon as I have the next steps.

If you have any questions in the meantime or any additional details you think would be helpful, please feel free to reply to this email. 

Onward and Upward, '' I have been trying to get in contact with Gemini support to ask about these so called " next steps '' to no avail. I went on their support XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX ( XXXX XXXX XXXXt ) their only other means of communication with clients and asked the following : " Hello, I am attempting to resolve a ticket surrounding a " Security hold '' on my account. Ticket ID : XXXX. Please help me, thanks! '' As of now, I have heard nothing from anyone at Gemini and if I'll get my money back in any way shape or form.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation