Russian police, investigators and courts send data requests to crypto exchanges every day — by e-mail, in Russian, on scanned letterhead. Some are genuine and must be answered within the limits of the law. Others are fraudsters posing as investigators to extract user data. From Moscow, we confirm which is which through official channels, and tell you exactly how much you are legally required to disclose.
What we do
- Formal review of the request: outgoing reference number and date, case or pre-investigation file (KUSP) number, issuing authority, signatory’s position, rank, signature and authority to sign, seal and letterhead; consistency with the legal grounds cited (Art. 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, Federal Law No. 144-FZ on operational search activity);
- Confirmation through official channels: we contact the duty unit or registry office of the authority using the telephone number published on its official website — never the number in the letter — and confirm that the officer serves there and that a document with that reference number and date was registered;
- Written and advocate’s enquiries where telephone confirmation is insufficient or disputed: a formal written enquiry, or an advocate’s enquiry under Art. 6.1 of the Federal Law on Advocacy, to which a response is mandatory by law;
- Scope of disclosure assessment: what you are obliged to provide, what requires a court order (information protected by a statutory secrecy regime), and how personal data may be transferred under Federal Law No. 152-FZ;
- Verification Memo in English for every request — confirmed / not confirmed / doubtful — stating what was checked, how, and our recommendation on disclosure;
- Support with the response: drafting the reply to the authority, requests for clarification and, where necessary, challenging an unlawful demand (Art. 125 of the Criminal Procedure Code; Chapter 22 of the Code of Administrative Procedure).
How it works
- You forward the request to our secure mailbox under NDA — the scanned letter and the e-mail headers are enough.
- Within 1–2 business days we complete the formal review and official-channel confirmation and send you the Verification Memo.
- If the case requires it, we file a written or advocate’s enquiry and update the memo when the authority responds (statutory term: 30 days).
- You respond to the authority — with our draft reply and a clear disclosure scope, or reject a request that has not been confirmed.
What we do not do
We do not check individuals against closed law enforcement databases and do not obtain information through unofficial channels. Such methods are unlawful in Russia, would make the result unusable in any dispute and would expose both your company and ours. Every verification relies solely on official enquiries and open sources, and every step is documented in the memo.
Turnaround and pricing
Standard verification — formal review, official-channel confirmation and a Verification Memo in English — takes 1–2 business days; a formal written inquiry to the authority takes up to 30 days. Urgent same-day handling is available.
We work per case or on a monthly retainer, from USD 450 per verification. Pricing is provided on request: write to law@vfs.consulting and we will send a one-page proposal within one business day.
Who this is for
- Compliance and law enforcement response teams of crypto exchanges, payment providers and fintech platforms with users in Russia and the CIS;
- Legal departments that receive Russian-language requests and have no counsel on the ground;
- Platforms that have already faced fraudulent “investigator” requests or unclear demands for bulk user data.
FAQ
Can you confirm a request without alerting the authority that we are checking it?
Confirmation via the duty unit or registry is a routine query; it neither reveals your internal decision nor delays a genuine investigation. Where you prefer no contact at all, we limit the work to a formal review and tell you what that does and does not prove.
The request cites a criminal case but asks for data on hundreds of accounts. Must we comply?
Not necessarily. Bulk demands frequently exceed what an investigator may obtain without a court order. We assess the scope and draft a reply that provides what the law requires — and only that.
Do you work with sanctioned or Russia-based exchanges?
We act for international platforms and their compliance functions. We run sanctions screening on every prospective client before engagement.
In what language do we receive the results?
All memos, correspondence and calls with your team are in English; communication with Russian authorities is in Russian.
Get started
Send a short description of your request flow to law@vfs.consulting or use the contact form. We reply within one business day with our standard mutual NDA and a proposal matched to your expected monthly volume.
