Cash App Preservation & Emergency Requests: Police Guide and Template
How police and investigators ask Cash App (Block) to preserve account records and flag an emergency: what Block publishes, the statute, and templates.
Cash App is operated by Block, Inc. This guide is for authorised law enforcement officers, prosecutors’ staff and government investigators who need to do two time-sensitive things: ask Block to preserve an account’s records before legal process is ready, and flag a genuine emergency. It sticks to what Block publishes on its own government page and request form, plus the text of the federal statutes. It does not repeat the general process (subpoenas, warrants, data types), which is covered in our Cash App law enforcement request guide. This is not legal advice, and everything below was checked against Block’s pages on 24 October 2026.
Who this is for. These routes are for authorised law enforcement and government agencies only. Private individuals, victims and journalists cannot use them, and Block’s Intelligence Program page says it is unable to respond to messages from people who are not affiliated with law enforcement. If you lost money on Cash App, report it to the police: see our country-by-country cybercrime help hub.
- Where to submit: Block’s Law Enforcement Information Request form at block.xyz/legal/government/inforequestform. Block’s page says submissions sent to its office by mail will not be accepted, and gives [email protected] for questions.
- Preservation: Block’s page lists “preservation requests” among the legal requests its Law Enforcement Response Team processes. It publishes no retention period, no extension rule and no separate preservation form. The federal statute, 18 U.S.C. section 2703(f), provides 90 days, renewable for a further 90 days.
- Emergency: the form has a yes/no field, “Is this an exigent request?” Block says emergency requests may be expedited on a demonstration of imminent threat to life or safety. It publishes no emergency response time.
- Freezing funds: the form says legal process that requires Block to freeze or seize funds should use the “Seizure Warrant” case type.
What Block publishes about preservation requests
Block’s government page covers requests to Block, Inc. (formerly Square, Inc.) and its subsidiaries, including Square Capital, LLC, Square Financial Services, Inc., Afterpay US Services, LLC and Cash App Investing. It says the Law Enforcement Response Team processes all legal requests for customer information, and it names preservation requests in that list alongside subpoenas, court orders and search warrants. There is no separate preservation page or form, so a preservation request goes in through the same request form. The table sets out what is and is not stated.
| Question | What Block’s pages say |
|---|---|
| Where to send it | The online request form. Mailed submissions to Block’s office are not accepted. The email address is for questions. |
| Identifiers | Include as much specific information as possible that would identify the relevant Square accounts and transactions (Block’s wording, which applies to Cash App requests too). Overly broad or vague requests cannot be processed. (Block’s civil-subpoena page, written for civil requests, lists full name, email address, phone number, $Cashtag, merchant name or account number as examples.) |
| How long data is kept | Not stated. |
| Extension or renewal | Not stated, and no reminder or automatic renewal is described. |
| Whether the account holder is told | Not stated on the pages we read. |
| What is not preserved | Not stated. On receipt of legal process Block says it will disclose data that is specified and that it is “reasonably able to locate and retrieve”. |
| Which entity | Block, Inc. holds Cash App records. Square’s government page (squareup.com) says that since 1 May 2022 Block no longer accepts legal process served to Square, Inc. |
What the statute says (not Block). 18 U.S.C. section 2703(f)(1) says a provider of wire or electronic communication services or a remote computing service, on the request of a governmental entity, shall take all necessary steps to preserve records and other evidence in its possession pending the issuance of a court order or other process. Section 2703(f)(2) says the records are retained for 90 days, extended for an additional 90-day period on a renewed request by the governmental entity. Block’s page does not say how it applies this provision, and whether a particular Block record falls within the statute is a question for your own legal adviser. Diary both dates yourself: send any renewal before the first period ends. Sections 2702 and 2703 were last amended in 2018: the wording quoted here is unchanged in the US Code as published by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel, current through Public Law 119-124 (15 October 2026).
Emergency (exigent) requests
Block’s page says: “Emergency requests may be expedited upon demonstration of imminent threat to life or safety.” The request form asks “Is this an exigent request?” with Yes and No options, so the emergency flag travels with the request rather than going to a separate address. Block publishes no emergency telephone number, no separate emergency mailbox and no emergency response time. The only timing it states is a current minimum response time of 60 days from receipt of valid legal process. Because the page says “may be expedited”, treat speed as discretionary, never as promised.
The statute. 18 U.S.C. section 2702(b)(8) (contents of communications) and section 2702(c)(4) (customer records) say a provider “may divulge” the information to a governmental entity if the provider, in good faith, believes that an emergency involving danger of death or serious physical injury to any person requires disclosure without delay of communications (contents, under (b)(8)) or information (records, under (c)(4)) relating to the emergency. The wording is permissive, and the test is the provider’s good-faith belief, so the facts you give are what matter. The statute speaks of providers of electronic communication service and remote computing service to the public; Block’s pages do not say whether it treats Cash App records as within that definition.
What to put in the request (our drafting suggestion, not a Block rule): who is at risk, what the danger is, why the information is needed without delay, how the account connects to the danger, the narrowest set of information that would help, and a number that will be answered right now.
Account freezes versus preservation
These are different things. The statute’s preservation provision is about keeping records and evidence. Nothing on Block’s government page says a preservation request freezes an account or holds funds. On freezing, the request form carries a note: if you are submitting legal process that requires Block to freeze or seize funds, choose “Seizure Warrant” as the case type so the request is escalated appropriately. Block’s Cash App Terms of Service (last updated 11 September 2026) separately say the company may freeze, withhold or remit funds in response to a subpoena, court order, search warrant, notice or other binding order from a governmental authority or third party. If funds must be held, plan for that as its own request and do not assume a records-preservation request does it.
Template: preservation request
Adapt to your agency’s format; not legal advice. Block’s form asks for the matter, the crime or charge, a case type, your reference number, up to five product types, your details and an official email address, and lets you attach up to five files of up to 10 MB each (PDF, JPEG, PNG, Excel or CSV). The letter below is what you would attach; the layout is our suggestion.
[AGENCY LETTERHEAD] Date: [DATE] To: Block, Inc., Law Enforcement Response Team Submitted via: Block Law Enforcement Information Request form Block ID shown after submission: [BLOCK ID] RE: REQUEST TO PRESERVE RECORDS ([LEGAL BASIS, FOR EXAMPLE 18 U.S.C. SECTION 2703(f), IF IT APPLIES]) Agency reference number: [CASE NUMBER] Crime or charge under investigation: [OFFENCE] [AGENCY NAME] requests that Block, Inc. take all necessary steps to preserve the records and other evidence described below, pending the issuance of a court order or other legal process. This request is for preservation only. It does not ask for disclosure at this time. Product: [CASH APP / OTHER PRODUCT SELECTED ON THE FORM] Identifiers: $Cashtag: [$CASHTAG] Registered email: [EMAIL] Registered phone: [PHONE] Name on account, if known: [NAME] Known transaction IDs, dates and amounts: [DETAILS] Date range: [START DATE] to [END DATE], time zone [TIME ZONE] Records to preserve: [LIST THE RECORD TYPES YOU NEED, FOR EXAMPLE ACCOUNT RECORDS, TRANSACTION HISTORY, LINKED FUNDING SOURCES, LOGIN AND DEVICE RECORDS] Legal process to follow: [PROCESS TYPE] expected by [DATE]. Non-disclosure: [INCLUDE ONLY IF YOU HOLD A COURT ORDER OR OTHER LEGAL BASIS: CITE IT HERE] Requester: [NAME], [TITLE], [AGENCY] Official email: [EMAIL] Phone: [PHONE] Address: [AGENCY ADDRESS] Signature: [SIGNATURE]
Template: emergency (exigent) request
Adapt to your agency’s format; not legal advice. Answer Yes to “Is this an exigent request?” on the form, and put the substance in the attached letter and the Additional Information field.
[AGENCY LETTERHEAD] EMERGENCY (EXIGENT) DISCLOSURE REQUEST Sent: [DATE], [TIME], [TIME ZONE] To: Block, Inc., Law Enforcement Response Team Agency reference number: [CASE NUMBER] Emergency summary (facts only): [WHO IS AT RISK, WHAT IS HAPPENING, WHEN AND WHERE] Danger of death or serious physical injury: [DESCRIBE THE DANGER] Why disclosure is needed without delay: [REASON] How the account relates to the emergency: [CONNECTION] Identifiers: $Cashtag: [$CASHTAG] Registered email: [EMAIL] Registered phone: [PHONE] Known transaction IDs, dates and amounts: [DETAILS] Information requested (narrowest necessary): [LIST] [AGENCY NAME] asks Block, Inc. to consider disclosure under 18 U.S.C. section 2702(b)(8) and/or 2702(c)(4), which permit a provider that in good faith believes an emergency involving danger of death or serious physical injury to any person requires disclosure without delay of communications or information relating to the emergency to disclose to a governmental entity. Follow-up legal process: [PROCESS TYPE] will be submitted by [DATE]. Immediate contact (answered now): [NAME], [PHONE], [OFFICIAL EMAIL] Requester: [NAME], [TITLE], [AGENCY] Signature: [SIGNATURE]
Common mistakes Block’s own pages warn about
- Mailing the request. Submissions sent to Block’s office by mail will not be accepted. If you need to serve documents by mail, Block points to its Registered Agent contact information on the page. That detail was not in the page text when we read it, so confirm it on the page. Block’s civil-subpoena page names CT Corporation as agent for service of process for civil requests, and Square’s government page links the same CT Corporation office locator as its national registered agent.
- Vague or overly broad requests. Block says it cannot process them. Identify the accounts and transactions as specifically as you can.
- Naming the wrong entity. Cash App records are held by Block, Inc. Process served to Square, Inc. has not been accepted since 1 May 2022, according to Square’s page.
- Sending a freeze or seizure as an ordinary request. The form says to choose “Seizure Warrant” for process that requires freezing or seizing funds.
- Using the law enforcement route for civil subpoenas. Block does not accept civil requests through its law enforcement portal, email or mail; they go to CT Corporation.
- Treating the email as a submission channel. The Law Enforcement Response Team address is for questions. Block also lists [email protected] for law enforcement case inquiries, training and engagement, and says that address is strictly for law enforcement.
- Assuming acceptance waives objections. Block says accepting legal process by any of these means is for convenience and does not waive objections such as lack of jurisdiction or proper service.
Related
- Cash App law enforcement request guide (subpoenas, warrants, data types)
- Block (Square, Cash App) entry in the police data-request directory
- Investigator handbook: United States
Sources
- Block: Law Enforcement Engagement & Government Requests
- Block: Law Enforcement Information Request form
- Block: Serving Civil Third-Party Subpoenas
- Block: Intelligence Program
- Square: Law Enforcement and Other Government Agency Requests
- Cash App Terms of Service
- 18 U.S.C. section 2703, U.S. Code 2024 edition (govinfo.gov)
- 18 U.S.C. section 2702, U.S. Code 2024 edition (govinfo.gov)
Browse the police data-request directory for other platforms, and if you are a victim rather than an investigator, start with our country-by-country cybercrime help hub. This guide is general reference, not legal advice: always confirm current requirements on Block’s own page before you submit.