How to verify a counterparty when buying crushed stone and aggregates

In the aggregates market a recurring pattern is that an advance payment is transferred to one company, shipment is documented by another, and settlement runs through third parties. When obligations are not performed there is often nobody to recover from: the company holds no assets and the director is a nominee. A check takes 15–20 minutes and in most cases prevents the loss of money.

12-point checklist before paying an advance

1. Match the details. The name, INN and KPP in the contract must match the EGRUL record. A single wrong digit in the INN is grounds to walk away.
2. Check the registration date. A company set up a few months ago that immediately offers a large volume of crushed stone on deferred payment is a classic warning sign.
3. Look at the director and shareholders. If the same person is listed as director of dozens of companies, that is a mass-registration director.
4. Check for records of unreliable information in EGRUL: address, director, shareholder. Such a record means the tax authority can no longer reach the company.
5. Check bailiff enforcement proceedings. Large debts, and especially recently opened proceedings, indicate insolvency.
6. Check the commercial court case file. Claims by suppliers for recovery are a direct signal that the company does not pay.
7. Check the register of unreliable suppliers. Inclusion means a contract was terminated through the supplier’s fault.
8. Check Fedresurs. Notices of an intention to file for bankruptcy are a red flag.
9. Check the registered address. A mass-registration address, or an address where the company is not actually present, points to a shell structure.
10. Check the signatory’s authority. Make sure the general director is not disqualified and is acting within the term of office.
11. Never pay into third-party accounts. If the contract names one supplier but the invoice is issued by another company or by an individual, it is almost always a scheme to divert funds.
12. Split the payments. On a large deal, pay in stages for volumes actually shipped rather than 100% in advance, and document each shipment separately.

Warning signs of a scheme running money through a chain of companies

• the contract is signed with one company, while shipment and documents come from another;
• payment details change during the deal, with “payment for a third party” and letters changing the payee;
• shipment deadlines slip, citing wagon shortages, price increases or problems at the quarry;
• the company’s director takes no part in the negotiations and cannot be reached;
• the same person negotiates on behalf of several different companies;
• after receiving the advance the company changes its address or director, or reorganises.

What to do if you have paid and nothing was shipped

1. Secure the evidence: contract, invoices, payment orders, correspondence, transport documents, reconciliation statements.
2. Send a written claim demanding the return of the funds — by registered letter with an inventory of contents and acknowledgement of receipt, to the registered address in EGRUL.
3. Report it to the police as fraud: 102, 112 or the territorial police department where the act was committed. Attach copies of the documents and state the details and the amount.
4. File a claim with the commercial court, and at the same time apply for interim measures — freezing the defendant’s accounts and property.
5. Check whether bankruptcy proceedings have been opened against the debtor and file your claim within the deadline.
6. Check whether there are other victims. A collective report is examined more thoroughly than a single one.

Frequently asked questions

Page last updated: 20.10.2026.