USDT vigilantes are reorganizing. Thursday, November 12, Tron, Tether and Chainalysis formalized their “Digital Crime Task Force”, a joint unit against crypto crime. It will track illicit flows in USDT on the Tron blockchain, at a time when Pyongyang is struggling to launder the $3.1 billion stolen from Binance. His opponent has a name, the AI-enhanced crypto scam.
Tron, Tether and Chainalysis create the “Digital Crime Task Force” against illicit flows of USDT on Tron.
According to Chainalysis, AI-assisted scams were 4.5 times more profitable than traditional ones in 2025.
Tether claimed to have frozen at least $7 billion linked to illicit activities.
The cell replaces the T3 Financial Crime Unit, dissolved after delays and a lack of coordination.
A scam 4.5 times more profitable with AI
The cell is based on a numerical observation from Chainalysis, delivered in a press release that the three partners sent to The Block. The analysis company describes a rapidly changing crime.
In 2025, scams assisted by artificial intelligence were 4.5 times more profitable than traditional schemes, a gap which shows the extent of the problem.
Another signal, identity theft scams have jumped by more than 1,400% in one year. In fact, the scammer pretends to be a loved one or a trusted advisor until he obtains the transfer from his victim.
For example, if an online meeting promises an investment in crypto, then asks for transfers in USDT, the pattern is already mapped out. This combination of sentimental scam and investment scam is the chosen terrain of the new cell.
The attacks are not just about deception, and earlier in the week, the Across protocol, active in interoperability between blockchains, suffered a domain hijacking. The service has since resumed normal operations.
Infrastructure provider Chainstack has acknowledged an AI-assisted security breach that occurred in late October. The incident exposed customer names, emails and password fingerprints.
The wave goes beyond just crypto, since banks were also hit in France, Taiwan and South Korea, just after the Binance hack.
The “Digital Crime Task Force” is based on one principle: getting ahead of criminals instead of chasing them. She wants to shorten the time between the detection of a threat and the action of law enforcement.
Thus, its method is based on intelligence and joint work with investigators. The aim is to freeze assets before funds change hands.
The official perimeter covers a wide range of threats, from hacking to terrorist financing to North Korean cyberattacks.
For Justin Sun, founder of Tron, the issue goes beyond just security. Millions of people rely on Tron's USDT to support their families and businesses, he argued. As digital finance expands, protection must grow with it.
The CEO of Tether, Paolo Ardoino, warned in the same press release:
“Criminals are using AI to move faster than ever, and waiting for a victim to report a crime is no longer enough. »
To support this warning, Tether brandishes an eloquent record. The company claims to have frozen illicit assets totaling more than $7 billion. To do this, it cooperates with hundreds of law enforcement agencies in 73 countries.
The newcomer, however, replaces a first try. The “T3 Financial Crime Unit”, set up with TRM Labs, has been dissolved. On November 4, Bloomberg reported slow response times and a lack of coordination among its members.
Consequently, the cell will have to convince on a specific point, speed. Its three founders stake their credibility on this promise, after the failure of the first model.
