As a researcher with extensive experience in the cryptocurrency space, I’ve witnessed firsthand the persistent threat of phishing scams and other malicious activities within the ecosystem. The recent incident involving Tether freezing around $5.2 million USDT on suspected phishing scammer addresses is a concerning reminder of this reality.
Approximately $5.2 million worth of USDT stablecoins, issued by Tether, have been halted on suspected scammer-managed accounts.
As a crypto investor, I’ve come across some troubling news from blockchain analytics firm SlowMist. They discovered that 12 Ethereum wallets, which previously held Tether (USDT), have been flagged as “USDT Banned Addresses.” These wallets now have their USDT balances frozen. According to a SlowMist security researcher, these addresses appear linked to an on-chain criminal organization. The funds associated with these wallets seem to be involved in illicit activities.
In the world of cryptocurrencies, phishing attacks are incredibly common. Cybercriminals cleverly imitate legitimate platforms or decentralized applications (dApps) to deceive users and steal their precious private keys, ultimately compromising their digital wallets.
Scammers have been attempting attacks, but according to security experts, both users and platforms have effectively strengthened their defenses against these schemes. As reported by CertiK, the lowest amount of funds, approximately $25.7, was stolen last month through scams and phishing hacks since 2021.
Tether’s centralization may help combat illicit wealth
As a cryptocurrency analyst, I’ve observed that confiscating stolen digital assets can be challenging due to the decentralized nature of cryptocurrencies. However, since Tether has a centralized structure, it could potentially help in thwarting illicit activities by freezing the involved funds.
The issuer of the stablecoin has intervened before this occasion. Back in March, Tether blocked four accounts with over $20 million in USDT to counteract illicit activities involving their stablecoin.
Following allegations of negligence by the USDT operator regarding illicit activity from the United Nations, I, Tether, have committed to strengthening our operations in this area. In a recent letter to U.S. lawmakers, we expressed our intention to expand our focus on identifying and preventing crypto transactions involving illicit activities that utilize stablecoin corridors.
Read More
Sorry. No data so far.
2024-05-14 21:40