Tether, TRON and Chainalysis announced the launch of the Digital Crime Task Force (DCTF), a new private-sector initiative aiming to swiftly detect and stop illicit activity involving USDT, Tether’s US dollar-pegged stablecoin, on the TRON blockchain.
Rapid response to digital crime
The DCTF seeks to address a longstanding challenge in digital asset security by proactively searching for suspicious transactions, generating investigative leads for law enforcement, and coordinating on asset freezes before criminals can move funds. The group will also accept reports and freeze requests submitted by police agencies.
Speed remains a critical factor in digital crime prevention. Jonty, founder of Pangolin Intelligence and contributor to the SEAL 911 hack-response project, stated during an October appearance on Unchained that his team traced funds drained from Ledger wallets and, in collaboration with Tether and police, secured a freeze on roughly $10 million. He noted that faster industry action could have prevented greater losses.
“Had the industry been able to secure those freezes more quickly, it could have saved a lot of money,” Jonty said regarding the freezing of illicit crypto funds.
Chainalysis brings AI-powered tools
Chainalysis, a leading blockchain analytics firm, will supply investigators, blockchain data, and artificial intelligence-powered investigative tools to the task force. The DCTF aims to target a broad range of criminal activities, including investment and romance scams, hacks, stolen funds, and drug trafficking. The group also plans to pursue cases involving terrorist groups, North Korean hackers, criminal cartels, and offenses related to child sexual abuse material.
Mini dictionary: Chainalysis is a company specializing in blockchain data and compliance software, helping financial institutions, government agencies, and private firms detect and combat crypto-related crime using advanced analytics and artificial intelligence.
According to a report released by Chainalysis in January, scams with onchain connections to artificial intelligence vendors netted an average of $3.2 million per operation in 2025, about 4.5 times higher than scams without such AI links. The same report noted that impersonation scams saw a surge of more than 1,400% since 2024.
Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether, warned that “criminals are using AI to move faster than ever, and waiting for a victim to report a crime is no longer good enough.” He said Tether has cooperated with over 360 police agencies in 73 countries to freeze more than $7 billion linked to crime.
Justin Sun, founder of TRON, highlighted the growing need to safeguard users as digital finance expands, emphasizing the responsibility to intensify protection efforts alongside increasing reach.
Building on earlier initiatives
The introduction of the Digital Crime Task Force follows an earlier partnership between TRON, Tether and blockchain analytics company TRM Labs, known as the T3 Financial Crime Unit. That group was established in September 2024 but disbanded in August, according to a November 4 report from Bloomberg. By May, T3 reported freezing over $450 million in illicit assets.
The new DCTF represents the latest effort by leading industry players to enhance the speed and effectiveness of crime monitoring and intervention, particularly for criminal activity involving USDT on the TRON network.
| Initiative | Partners | Focus | Period Active | Assets Frozen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T3 Financial Crime Unit | Tether, TRON, TRM Labs | Illicit asset monitoring | Sep 2024–Aug 2025 | $450 million |
| Digital Crime Task Force (DCTF) | Tether, TRON, Chainalysis | USDT-linked digital crime | Launched in 2025 | Not yet reported |
