- TRON, Tether and Chainalysis launched the Digital Crime Task Force to combat illicit cryptocurrency activity, with a focus on USDT transactions on the TRON blockchain.
- The initiative aims to shorten the time between detecting suspicious activity and freezing assets in cooperation with law enforcement.
- Chainalysis reported that AI-driven scams were 4.5 times more profitable than traditional schemes in 2025, while impersonation cases increased by more than 1,400% year over year.
TRON, Tether and Chainalysis announced the Digital Crime Task Force on Nov. 12, 2026, to combat illicit activity in the cryptocurrency industry, with a focus on criminal operations involving USDT on the TRON blockchain. The initiative aims to accelerate the detection of suspicious transactions and the freezing of assets in cooperation with law enforcement before bad actors can move funds.
The companies disclosed the initiative in a joint statement provided to The Block. The task force will concentrate on intelligence gathering and coordination with law enforcement agencies.
TRON founder Justin Sun said millions of people use USDT on the network for personal transfers and business. He said protections for those users must evolve as digital finance expands.
New task force replaces T3 unit
The Digital Crime Task Force was formed after the dissolution of the T3 Financial Crime Unit, a partnership involving TRON, Tether and TRM Labs that launched in 2024. The previous alliance ceased operations because of slow responses to threats and insufficient coordination among its participants.
Chainalysis, which specializes in blockchain analytics and cryptocurrency transaction tracking, has replaced TRM Labs in the new initiative.
Companies cite growth in AI-enabled fraud
The task force is being established as artificial intelligence increasingly powers fraud schemes and cyberattacks. According to Chainalysis data, AI-driven scams were 4.5 times more profitable than traditional schemes in 2025, while the number of impersonation cases rose by more than 1,400% year over year.
Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said attackers are using AI to accelerate attacks, making responses initiated only after victims come forward insufficient. Tether has frozen more than $7 billion linked to illicit activity while working with more than 360 law enforcement agencies across 73 countries, Ardoino said, according to The Block.
The Digital Crime Task Force plans to address investment and romance scams, hacks, terrorism financing and cyberattacks linked to North Korea.
Recent cybersecurity incidents
Recent incidents include the hijacking of the Across cross-chain protocol’s domain and a hack of blockchain infrastructure provider Chainstack. Chainstack said attackers compromised customer names, email addresses and password hashes.
Losses from hacking attacks reached $6.48 billion in October.
Source: Incrypted
