Stablecoin Issuer Tether Has Helped Law Enforcement Recover More Than $108.8 Million USDT Linked to Illegal Activities

Tether remains resolute in its mission to support global law enforcement efforts in combating illicit uses of cryptocurrency

Stablecoin issuer Tether has helped over 145 law enforcement agencies recover more than $108.8 million in Tether (USDT) linked to illegal activities since its launch in 2014.

“Tether remains resolute in its mission to support global law enforcement efforts in combating illicit uses of cryptocurrency,” Tether CEO Paolo Ardoini wrote in an Aug. 23 statement.

Ardoini claimed that Tether is “fully dedicated” to continuing to collaborate with law enforcement to combat fraud.

Since its launch, Tether has “voluntarily blocked” over 1,900 cryptocurrency wallets worldwide that have been connected to illicit activity.

Tether's work with law enforcement

Most recently, Tether assisted the United States Department of Justice (DoJ) in seizing approximately $5 million USDT from scammers who tricked victims by posing as romantic interests before disappearing with their money, a scam known as “pig-butchering.”

Pig-butchering criminals typically meet their victims online and often spend a lot of time building trust with them to entice them to make larger investments.

Tether explained that the seizure of funds “mark a significant victory in the ongoing battle against cyber-enabled fraud.”

It also noted that the investigation included Tether onboarding the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the US Service into its platform “to effectuate synergy in investigations.”

Romance scams becoming a major concern

In 2023, romance scams more than doubled in revenue year-over-year, with data indicating a growth of 85x since 2020, Cointelegraph reported on Feb. 23.

Related: Tether expands USDT to Aptos blockchain for lower fees

Chainalysis believes that pig-butchering scams have the “worst impact on victims of all scam types” due to the average payment size.

“These fake investment platforms display a fictitious investment portfolio with abnormally large investment returns, which is designed to induce the victim to invest more,” the US DoJ wrote in an Aug. 22 statement.

The DoJ explained that once the funds are obtained they are then moved through crypto wallets to “obfuscate the nature, source, control, and ownership of those fraud proceeds.”

Meanwhile, on March 12, Cointelegraph reported that Tether assisted the DoJ with the seizure of roughly $1.4 million USDT due to suspicions of it being proceeds from fraud via a customer support scam.

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