Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about crypto blacklist monitoring, sanctions screening, and risk scoring.
Blacklist Monitoring
- Can Tether freeze my USDT wallet?
- Yes. Tether can freeze any USDT wallet address on any chain at any time, without warning or appeal. As of 2026, over $3.3 billion has been frozen across 7,200+ addresses. Circle can do the same with USDC.
- What is crypto blacklist monitoring?
- Blacklist monitoring continuously watches your wallet addresses and alerts you when any of your counterparties get frozen by Tether or Circle. ChainArmor Monitor tracks this 24/7 and sends alerts via email, Telegram, or webhooks within seconds of a freeze event.
- How fast are blacklist alerts?
- ChainArmor detects on-chain freeze events within seconds of the blockchain confirmation. TRON is polled every 3 seconds, Ethereum via WebSocket subscriptions. From on-chain event to your inbox or Telegram: typically under 30 seconds.
- What chains does ChainArmor support?
- ChainArmor currently monitors TRON and Ethereum for USDT and USDC blacklist events. Sanctions screening covers ETH, TRON, BTC, LTC, ARB, and BSC addresses from OFAC SDN, plus TRON/ETH from NBCTF and all chains via OpenSanctions.
- What is the proximity index?
- The proximity index tracks addresses within one transaction hop of a blacklisted wallet. If your counterparty has transacted with a frozen address, ChainArmor detects this "indirect exposure" and factors it into your risk score. Available on Pro+ plans.
Sanctions Screening
- What is cryptocurrency sanctions screening?
- Sanctions screening checks wallet addresses against government sanctions lists (OFAC SDN, NBCTF, EU/UK/UN) to identify addresses owned by designated entities — terrorist financing networks, sanctioned governments, and money laundering operations.
- Which sanctions lists does ChainArmor screen against?
- Three authoritative sources: OFAC SDN (US Treasury, 660+ crypto addresses), NBCTF (Israel National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing, 1,600+ addresses), and OpenSanctions (aggregating EU, UK, UN, and 30+ national sanctions programs). Data syncs every 6 hours.
- How is sanctions screening different from blacklist monitoring?
- Blacklists detect on-chain freeze events (Tether/Circle freezing an address). Sanctions lists are off-chain government databases — an address can be sanctioned before it is frozen, or may never be frozen but still represent regulatory risk. ChainArmor monitors both.
- What are the penalties for transacting with a sanctioned address?
- OFAC penalties can reach $20 million per civil violation, plus criminal prosecution under IEEPA. Even unknowing transactions with designated entities can trigger strict liability enforcement. Multiple jurisdictions (US, EU, UK, Israel) may apply simultaneously.
- Does ChainArmor screen my counterparties too?
- Yes. ChainArmor screens both your wallet and every counterparty in your transaction history. If any address you have transacted with appears on OFAC, NBCTF, or OpenSanctions, you are alerted with the entity name, sanctions program, and risk score impact.
- Is sanctions screening included in all plans?
- Yes. Sanctions screening is free on all plans. Every monitored wallet is screened against OFAC, NBCTF, and OpenSanctions at no extra cost. The relationship graph visualization is available on Pro+ plans.
Risk Scoring
- How does the risk score work?
- ChainArmor calculates a 0-100 risk score combining three factors: direct exposure (counterparties on blacklists, 100-point weight), proximity exposure (counterparties near blacklists, 50-point weight, Pro+), and sanctions exposure (counterparties on government sanctions lists, 80-point weight). Volume and recency of transactions are factored in.
- What do the risk levels mean?
- Low (0-20): no significant exposure. Medium (21-50): some indirect exposure detected. High (51-80): significant counterparty risk. Critical (81-100): direct blacklist or sanctions match.
- Does a high risk score mean my wallet will be frozen?
- Not necessarily. The risk score measures exposure — how close your transaction history is to known bad actors. A high score means you should investigate the flagged counterparties and consider whether continued interaction is wise.
Verify Reports
- What is ChainArmor Verify?
- Verify is a one-time wallet check that produces a branded PDF risk report in 60 seconds. It scans any wallet against blacklists, proximity index, and sanctions databases. No account required. From $29 per check, or $5/check in 100-packs.
- What does the Verify PDF include?
- The report includes: risk score (0-100), risk level, direct vs proximity vs sanctions breakdown, top 20 counterparties with status badges, a dedicated Sanctions Screening section (entity names, programs, sources), and transaction volume analysis.
- Can I use Verify reports for compliance?
- Yes. Verify reports are designed for audit trails — branded, timestamped, with order IDs. OTC desks use them before confirming trades, finance teams use them for due diligence, and compliance officers use them to document screening procedures.
Pricing & Plans
- How much does ChainArmor cost?
- Monitor: Free (1 wallet), Pro $9/mo (5 wallets), Business $49/mo (25 wallets), Enterprise $199/mo (100 wallets). Verify: $29 per check, or 100-pack at $5/check ($499). All plans include sanctions screening. 3-day free trial on all paid plans.
- Is there a free trial?
- Yes. All paid Monitor plans include a 3-day free trial with full access to all features including sanctions screening, proximity detection, and alert channels. No credit card required to start.
- What is the difference between ChainArmor and Chainalysis?
- Chainalysis starts at $100K+/year with a 3-6 month sales cycle. ChainArmor is self-service, starting at $9/month for monitoring and $29 per wallet check. Same compliance-grade screening (OFAC, NBCTF, OpenSanctions), no enterprise contract required.
Privacy & Security
- Do I need to provide KYC to use ChainArmor?
- No. ChainArmor is privacy-first. Signup requires only an email address — no KYC, no identity verification, no phone number. All wallet monitoring data is associated with your email-only account.
- Is my wallet data shared with third parties?
- No. Wallet addresses, counterparty data, and risk scores are never shared with third parties. Sanctions screening is done locally against our own synced database — we do not send your addresses to OFAC, NBCTF, or OpenSanctions APIs.