Binance y Tether lideran incautación récord de casi $50 millones en estafa ’pig butchering’
Las mayores plataformas de cripto demuestran músculo regulatorio en operación coordinada contra fraudes financieros.
Operación de alto impacto
Binance, junto con Tether y otros actores clave, ejecutan blow decisivo contra esquemas de 'pig butchering'—desmantelando redes que aprovechan la psicología humana y herramientas tecnológicas para estafas sofisticadas.
El ecosistema contraataca
La incautación de casi $50 millones marca un punto de inflexión en la autorregulación del sector. Las plataformas ahora cazan proactivamente actividades ilícitas, usando blockchain analytics para rastrear flujos de dinero que tradicionalmente se perderían en el sistema financiero legacy.
¿Nuevo estándar o caso aislado?
Mientras los entusiastas celebran esta demostración de fuerza, los cínicos señalan que $50 millones es apenas el rounding error de las comisiones que generan estas plataformas en un trimestre—pero al menos es publicidad positiva en medio de tanta regulación abrumadora.
Chainalysis graph showing the flow of funds from victims to the scammers (Source: Chainalysis)
It said:
“The Chainalysis Reactor graph below shows 19 addresses that the team identified in connection with the case. It is likely that hundreds of wallets sent funds to this scam.”
Some of the victims sent funds to scammers multiple times, with scammers moving the funds to a consolidation wallet, which later sent $46.9 million to intermediary addresses. The three intermediary wallets moved the funds to five destination wallets, where Tether eventually froze the funds.
Interestingly, the analysis shows that one of the scammer wallets also transferred funds to victims, moving a total of $63,900. Experts note that scammers use this common tactic to gain the trust of their victims by making small deposits that give them the impression they are getting returns.
Crypto firms deepen collaboration with law enforcement to combat crime
Meanwhile, the announcement highlights the growing collaboration between crypto firms and law enforcement to combat illicit cryptocurrency activity. Chainalysis acknowledged this in its post on X.
The firm said:
“Powerful example of how industry collaboration can combat sophisticated financial crime networks.”
It also noted that this public-private partnership aims to protect users and improve trust in the blockchain ecosystem. The exchange’s Global Head of Intelligence and Investigations, Eric Fracolli, stated that it will partner with all relevant stakeholders to achieve this.
Fracolli said:
“Our collaboration with these organizations highlights the essential role of public-private partnerships in subverting criminal operations and working toward compensating victims.”
Binance added that its number one priority is to improve the security of the crypto ecosystem, noting that this is necessary to ensure that the sector does not get a bad name. The exchange observed that illicit activity accounts for only a small fraction of all crypto transactions, but poses real harm to users, and any opportunity to disrupt such activity is a victory.
Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino also said that the stablecoin issuer remains committed to working with law enforcement agencies globally to ensure that funds connected to scams and other illicit activities are frozen so victims can get restitution.
As for OKX, it described its involvement as evidence of its commitment to security and compliance while noting that USDT’s ability to be frozen is a crucial mechanism in recovering stolen funds.
The commitment from the crypto industry leaders highlights how pig butchering scams that involve the use of cryptocurrencies are under more scrutiny. While these scams are not new and continue to lead to billions of dollars in losses annually, while affecting several other victims, law enforcement is now finding it easier to trace those involving cryptocurrencies.
Only a few months ago, the US Court approved the seizure of around $225 million USDT by the US Secret Service (USSS). The funds are also connected to pig butchering scams and were initially frozen in 2023 through a collaboration that involved Tether, OKX, Coinbase, and the US law enforcement.
Get up to $30,050 in trading rewards when you join Bybit today
