TRON, Tether and Chainalysis launch task force as crypto hacks hit $8.78B
As 2026 becomes the year with the most crypto hacks, organizations are ramping up efforts to detect illicit activity before criminals move funds.
On the 12th of November, TRON, Tether, and blockchain intelligence firm Chainalysis jointly launched the Digital Crime Task Force (DCTF), an initiative aimed at identifying and disrupting illicit financial activities involving Tether’s USDT stablecoin on the TRON blockchain.
In this plan, TRON will contribute its blockchain network expertise, and Tether will provide support as the issuer of USDT. Meanwhile, Chainalysis will bring its blockchain intelligence, investigative expertise, and AI-powered monitoring tools.
The scam epidemic spreads like wildfire
One of the major reasons behind the initiative is the growing sophistication of crypto-related financial crime. According to Chainalysis, AI-enabled scam operations were 4.5x more profitable than traditional scams in 2025. Meanwhile, impersonation scams increased by more than 1,400% year over year.
DefiLlama further reported that the crypto industry recorded $8.78 billion across 328 hacks in 2026 so far. This is the highest annual loss recorded in its database. In fact, the five biggest hacks together contributed more than 85% of the overall losses.
Interestingly, the number of attacks increased around 2.7 times compared to 2025, while the median loss declined from $1.07 million to $510,000. This suggests that hackers are carrying out more frequent attacks, although most incidents involve relatively smaller amounts.
Criminal sophistication takes center stage
Seeing this rise, the organizations believe that traditional approaches, which often depend on victims reporting crimes or investigators identifying suspicious funds, are no longer sufficient. Instead, they want to identify potential threats before criminals can move their funds.
Remarking on the same, Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said,
Criminals are using AI to move faster than ever, and waiting for a victim to report a crime is no longer good enough
This remark comes as Tether has already frozen more than $7 billion linked to illicit activities while working with over 360 law enforcement agencies across 73 countries.
That said, the new task force will therefore be built on these efforts by focusing on proactive investigations and faster coordination. It will also accept tips and asset-freezing requests directly from law enforcement agencies.
What’s more?
Needless to say, the DCTF will investigate several categories of financial crime, including investment and romance scams, stolen funds, cryptocurrency hacks, terrorist financing, North Korean cyber operations, and much more.
This coincided with the FBI recently launching ‘Operation Blackout,’ a coordinated international crackdown targeting scam compounds across Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Middle East that defraud American citizens through fake investment platforms and online impersonation.
Meanwhile, ACAMS has partnered with blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis to strengthen cryptocurrency anti-financial crime training through an updated CCAS certification.
Final Summary
- The initiative is a joint effort by TRON, Tether, and Chainaysis to combat the growing sophistication of crypto-related financial crime.
- The crypto industry recorded $8.78 billion across 328 hacks in 2026, marking the highest annual loss recorded in its database.
