Tether: Over 1.5 billion USDT stolen from Binance frozen within 30 minutes

On November 2, stablecoin issuer Tether announced that it froze over 1.5 billion USDT within 30 minutes after Binance was attacked on October 29, preventing the related funds from being transferred, exchanged, or laundered. Tether stated that the FBI has identified North Korea as responsible for this attack. The FBI reported on October 31 that North Korea stole over 6 billion dollars in virtual assets from Binance around October 29, referring to the activity as TraderTraitor.

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino stated that the team froze over 1.5 billion dollars within minutes of the attack and claimed that USDT is not suitable for hiding stolen funds. Tether USA₮ CEO Bo Hines stated that the company acted immediately to prevent over 1.5 billion dollars from flowing to the attackers and said that this move contributes to safety in the U.S. and globally. Tether claimed that it collaborates with U.S. and international law enforcement agencies and industry partners to track illegal funds and assist in accountability.

Tether also disclosed that as of October 31, it has assisted the U.S. Department of Justice, Secret Service, and FBI in freezing over 3,590 wallets, approximately 1.6 billion dollars in USDT, and has collaborated with over 360 law enforcement agencies in 73 countries. Including the freezes related to this Binance incident, Tether has cumulatively frozen over 7 billion dollars in USDT across secondary market addresses, of which approximately 1.2 billion dollars has been returned to rightful owners or law enforcement agencies through reissuance.