Consumers' Research has launched a campaign against Tether, accusing the stablecoin of ties to terrorists, human traffickers, and other criminals. They criticized Tether for refusing audits to verify its reserves and for being used to evade sanctions and fund illicit activities.

Executive Director Will Hild calls Tether a potential "next FTX," citing nearly $20bn in illicit transactions last year.

Despite these allegations, Tether claims all tokens are fully backed and collaborates with the FBI and US Secret Service to block illicit activities.