HTX denies role in address-poisoning transfers as Kraken freeze tops $4.2 million
Regulation & Gov ·
The exchange says an internal review found no official accounts involved, pointing instead to users acting on their own after funds stayed locked at Kraken.
HTX, an exchange operating since 2013, has pushed back on user reports linking its accounts to address-poisoning transfers, according to an internal review cited in a report. The exchange said the review turned up no official HTX accounts involved in the disputed transfers. Known cases tied to the episode involve funds of up to about $4.2 million that remain frozen at Kraken.
Address poisoning typically relies on look-alike wallet addresses sent to a target's transaction history, aiming to trick a user into copying the wrong destination for a future transfer. HTX's position is that some users may have taken independent action after their funds became stuck at Kraken, rather than the exchange's own infrastructure or staff being responsible for the poisoning attempts themselves, per the same report.
The $4.2 million figure represents known cases connected to the frozen Kraken funds, not a confirmed total loss attributable to address poisoning specifically. The material does not specify how many individual users are affected, when the freezes were first imposed, or what triggered Kraken's decision to lock the funds in question.
It also remains unclear whether HTX's internal review examined transaction records beyond official account activity, or whether independent user actions alleged by the exchange have been verified by any outside party. Kraken has not been quoted directly in the available reporting on its rationale for freezing the funds or on any conditions for their release.
What happens next to the frozen $4.2 million, and whether further details emerge on the identities or intent of the users HTX says acted independently, remains unresolved. Only one source is currently tracking this dispute, so corroboration from additional outlets or from Kraken and HTX themselves has not yet surfaced.