Tether, Tron And Chainalysis Form A Task Force To Freeze Crooks’ USDT Before It Moves

Tether, Tron and Chainalysis have formed a Digital Crime Task Force to spot criminal USDT on the Tron blockchain and help police freeze it before it moves, as AI makes crypto scams faster and more profitable.

Key Takeaways

• The task force will hunt for suspected criminal activity in Tether’s USDT on Tron and pass leads to law enforcement before the money moves
• Chainalysis says AI-powered scam operations were 4.5 times more profitable than traditional ones in 2025, and impersonation scams grew more than 1,400%
• Tether says it has already frozen more than $7 billion linked to crime, working with over 360 law enforcement agencies in 73 countries
• It replaces an earlier Tron and Tether crime unit built with TRM Labs, which was reportedly shut down in August

Tron announced the group on Thursday with Tether, the issuer of the world’s biggest stablecoin, and blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis.

Going After Scammers Before They Strike

Until now, most crypto freezes started after a victim reported a crime. The task force instead plans to look for criminal networks first, using Chainalysis analysts, blockchain data and AI investigation tools, then hand leads to police and help them request freezes. Tether can freeze USDT in any wallet, which lets stolen money be stopped before it is cashed out.

“Criminals are using AI to move faster than ever, and waiting for a victim to report a crime is no longer good enough,” said Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino. “Anyone who thinks USD₮ is a safe place to hide illicit funds is making a very expensive mistake.”

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What It Will Target

The group will cover investment and romance scams, hacks and stolen funds, terrorist financing, North Korean cyber operations, cartel money laundering, drug trafficking and payments linked to child sexual abuse material. It will also take tips and freeze requests from law enforcement.

Tron founder Justin Sun said millions of people rely on USDT on Tron to support their families and businesses, and that protecting them has to grow as digital finance reaches more people.

What To Keep In Mind

The companies did not say how many people will work on the task force, what it will cost or how they will measure success. It comes about three months after their earlier unit with TRM Labs, which had frozen hundreds of millions of dollars, was reportedly wound down.

The model also depends on one company, Tether, being able to freeze anyone’s USDT. That power can stop criminals, but it means holders rely on Tether and police getting each freeze right.

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