Altery Reviews

Altery is a datamining scam. It's founder Uvarov "recommends" it right here as a "honest customer"

⚠️🐍 Warning: Scammers from VTB Bank, now hiding behind a “verified” Telegram account — the so-called “Cyprus Telegram Bank” Altery and its Telegram app @altery — are in fact a front for stealing your personal data. The app promises “instant issuance of virtual bank cards” (marketed as a workaround for paying for YouTube Premium, OpenAI, etc., clearly targeting Russian expats and those under sanctions). Its pitch relies on three selling points: “registration under UK law,” a few mentions in niche crypto-Twitter accounts, and a “Russian” founder — CPO Mr. Vasiliy Uvarov. Background: Vasiliy Uvarov, CPO of Altery, previously worked at the failed Russian bank "Otkrytie". According to his own profiles, he served as Chief Technology Officer there from April 2018 to March 2021. Before that: Senior Product Owner at Sberbank (May 2017 – April 2018), Program Manager at VTB24 (June 2008 – August 2016), and Head of Integration Solutions Development at MBRR (Moscow Bank for Reconstruction and Development). He graduated from the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation. In autumn 2022 — shortly after failed *Otkrytie* was absorbed by scandal-ridden Vneshtorgbank (VTB) — Uvarov relocated to London, from where he began offering “cross-border payment” services routing money out of Russia via Central Asia and Dubai. At some point, he apparently decided there was extra profit in trading in personal data. This is when the company launched its so-called B2C direction — the very Telegram bot in question. Here’s what happens if you try the Altery_Payments “app” (the startup uses multiple names to bury negative reviews): 1. It will immediately request full KYC — passport scan, proof of address, and even a 3D face scan. You cannot proceed without handing these over. Many users, desperate to “pay something quickly,” comply without hesitation. 2. Then comes the “First World” split: * If you are a UK/EU/US citizen: Your KYC will be approved, but the service quality will be poor. You will likely leave — but your documents and biometrics will "legally" remain with the startup — and when they are going to end up in Russia, only Vasily Uvarov from VTB (the KGB’s favorite bank since Soviet times) will know. * If you are a citizen of Russia, Ukraine, or other CIS countries: You will likely be denied service outright, without any attempt to deliver on promises. Your data will still be kept “for compliance reasons,” allegedly for five years, on servers in Cyprus — a known hub for offshore banking fraud schemes. Bottom line: Do not trust “Russian-Cypriot crypto-banking startups,” even with a Telegram “verified” badge. The fact that a Russian national, Vasiliy Uvarov — formerly of VTB — is running this from London should be of interest to local national security agencies. You can ask him yourself, he also "recommends" his app right here in comments disguised as a "customer".