TRON, Tether and Chainalysis launch task force as crypto hacks hit $8.78B

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.