Following takedown operation, Garantex invites customers to ‘face-to-face’ Moscow meeting

Russian crypto exchange Garantex has had a rough week.

Firstly, Tether blocked access to Garantex’s wallets containing around $28 million, and the U.S. Secret Service seized the exchange’s websites. Garantex then suspended all services, including crypto withdrawals.

On Friday, the U.S. Justice Department charged two administrators for money laundering activities on the platform. Over $26 million in Tether and Bitcoin were frozen by U.S. prosecutors.

Garantex is offering a potential solution to blocked assets, inviting customers with positive balances to a meeting at their Moscow office.

Garantex has announced face-to-face meetings starting Monday in their office for customers with positive balances, requesting them to bring their linked phone and email access for confirmation codes.

The request for in-person meetings raises concerns for customers, especially in a world that values anonymity. It’s uncertain if Garantex will be able to refund customers amidst sanctions by the U.S. and EU.

Garantex has processed over $96 billion in crypto transactions since 2019, indicating a large customer base. The company did not provide a comment.