Update (May 15 at 15:10 UTC): This article was updated about comments from Tether.
According to the modern Amlbot Amlbot report, the delay in the portfolio Portfer in the Tether wallet allowed over $ 78 million in illegal funds before the start of enforcement activities.
The address of Tether Blacklisting becomes effective only after a significant delay from the moment of starting the process at Ethereum and Tron, as report Posted on May 15.
“This delay results from the configuration of the Tether agreement on both the throne and Ethereum, transforming what should be immediate consent into the window of possibilities for illegal actors,” we read in the report.
The Black Tether list procedure is a multi -stage process with the first transaction effectively warning about the upcoming black list. First of all, the Multisignature transaction of the Tether administrator submits a connection to “Addblacklist” under the USDT-TRC20 contract.
This causes public “submission” of the target address as a candidate for a black list. Then follows the second Multisignature transaction confirming the assembly, which results in the broadcast “added Blacklist”, which makes a black list effective.
Related: Tether, Throne and TRM Labs froze USD 126 million in 2024 together
A warning about an incoming black list
In one example shared by Cointelegraph, Onchain transaction Sending the address of the throne as a candidate for a black list took place at 11:10:12 UTC. Second transaction This actually enforced an action that took place only 11:54:51 UTC on the same day, a 44-minute delay.
In practice, this delay can be treated by USDT owners, which are to be on the black list as a notification of the transfer of their assets to avoid frozen them. The report found:
“This delay between the demanding demand and its implementation in the chain creates a critical attack window, enabling malicious actors to enforce law and transfer or wash funds before freezing.”
The report says that “in the case of attackers with blockchain, these delays are gold.” Following Tether calls in real time, fraud can immediately be called that their address is targeted. Asked by Cointelegraph if the delay is a technical limitation or only a delay in the actions of the key holder of the multi -asnature portfolio, Amlbot researchers said that they cannot determine it without knowledge about the internal Tether procedures.
In a statement for CointeLgraph, a spokesman Tether explained that “although every delay should be examined in enforcement, the idea that it represents a system gap is both introducing and without perspective.” According to the company, it cooperates with law enforcement agencies to freeze addresses everyday. The statement continues:
“Tether works on public blocks, where all actions are visible […] This transparency allows for imprisonment, in cooperation with over 255 law enforcement agencies in 55 countries, tracking, tracking and freezing illegal funds faster than the most aware. “
According to Tether, the delay cited in the report results from the “multi -balance management model”, which is said to prevent unilateral freezing and protect the system integrity. The company admits that the model also introduces a delay in the scope of enforcement of law, noting that “it is a compromise responsible for reacting to an ecosystem worth $ 100 billion”, with improvements on the road:
“We are actively improving this work process to eliminate a potential advantage for bad actors. If you think you can use Tether to transfer illegal funds, think again.”
Related: Tether Stablecoin Emiters and Tron Launch Financial Crime Unit
Not only theoretical
Amlbot said his data shows that over USD 28.5 million in USD was withdrawn during a delay between two transactions in Blockchain Ethereum. This freezing amount took place between November 28, 2017 and May 12, 2025. The average amount shifted during a delay exceeded USD 365,000.
Similarly, $ 49.6 million was reportedly withdrawn during the freezing delay windows in the Blockchain Throne, which results in Ethereum and the throne of $ 78.1 million. The utilize of this delay on the throne is not particularly uncommon, according to Amlbot:
“170 out of 3480 portfolios (4.88%) on Blockchain Tron took advantage of the delay against obtaining a black list. Each of these portfolios made 2-3 transfers during delay, withdrawal: average: 291 970 USD.”
Tether spokesman said that “$ 76 million in this report should be placed in the context of over $ 2.7 billion in USD, that Tether has been successfully frozen and blocked so far.”
Tether previously promoted his ability to freeze assets as a function of compliance. In 2024, TRM Labs TRM Labs collaborated, TRM Labs, TRM Labs to freeze over $ 126 million in USDT associated with illegal activities.
Despite this, the AMLBOT report raises questions about the effectiveness and speed of these enforcement actions.
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