HTX users reported receiving unsolicited USDT from wallets tagged as belonging to the exchange, sparking fears that even small transfers could cause centralized exchanges to review or freeze their accounts. Some reported transfers were larger than typical dust attacks, with amounts up to 12 USDT. One trader known as 0xZiye said he received 7.5 USDT to his Coinbase account and was warned that his account could be closed unless he explained the source of the funds.
The concern is not theft but compliance poisoning. HTX is treated as a sanctioned counterparty in the United Kingdom and the European Union, and wallets that withdrew from HTX after May 26 are considered in breach of those sanctions. Binance has frozen transactions tied to HTX, Exmo, and more than a dozen other exchanges, while decentralized venues such as Hyperliquid have begun blacklisting HTX-linked addresses. A token contract for a new HTX asset reportedly interacted with thousands of wallets on BNB Smart Chain, and other users reported receiving USDT from an address tagged as HTX48.
Justin Sun, founder of TRON and owner of HTX, dismissed the reports as fabricated, writing on X on August 18 that the investigation was clear and it was all made up, without providing supporting details. HTX said it had not conducted any related transfers or testing activities and was reviewing whether address tagging or on-chain source identification had produced a false link. Molly, HTX head of marketing, said the platform absolutely did not behave this way and blamed either a misunderstanding or deliberate sabotage.
Phyrex, a widely followed analyst, said 0xZiye’s Coinbase account had returned to normal and that affected users could ask Coinbase support to review their cases. HTX later said it had reviewed tens of thousands of deposit and withdrawal orders and found no new frozen cases. The episode echoes earlier dust attacks after the Tornado Cash sanctions, though the US Office of Foreign Assets Control later ruled that passive receipt of funds was not enough to deem an account an accomplice to a banned service.
