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Polygon’s 8 Million USDT0 Holders: What Bitquery’s 58% Scam-Pattern Estimate Means

Bitquery’s 8.05 million Polygon USDT0 holders are positive-balance addresses, not people. Its 58% estimate flags a pattern among net added addresses, not proven scammers or victims.
From TheFinanceBase Team3 min to read
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Polygon’s reported 8.1 million USDT0 holders are wallet addresses with a positive token balance—not 8.1 million people. Bitquery counted about 8.05 million such addresses on October 7, 2026, and estimated that 58% of the net increase since August 27, 2025 matched an address-poisoning pattern. That is a pattern-based estimate, not proof that the addresses belong to scammers or victims.

How many USDT0 holders does Polygon have?

Bitquery counted approximately 8.05 million Polygon addresses holding some USDT0 as of October 7, 2026, 00:00 UTC. Polygon described the total as more than 8.1 million addresses. The count includes any address with a balance above zero, however small; it does not establish how many people use the token.

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As Gaurav Agarwal, the Bitquery investigation’s author, put it: “A holder is an address with a balance above zero, not a person.” One individual or company can control multiple addresses, while a single exchange address can hold tokens for many customers. Bitquery’s investigation explains its count and limitations.

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What does the 58% figure mean?

From August 27, 2025 to October 7, 2026, Bitquery recorded a net increase of 1,714,064 holder addresses. It estimated that 58% of that net increase matched its address-poisoning pattern. The estimate describes a share of added addresses that fit a classification pattern; it is not a finding that 58% of new users were scammers, that the same share were victims, or that the addresses represent distinct people.

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Bitquery says it checked its look-alike classification against a random sample. It also cautions that some addresses matching the pattern may have another explanation, while some poisoning addresses may not fit the pattern. The source set establishes no regulator or court finding, nor an independent replication of the 58% estimate.

Why address growth does not by itself show stronger adoption

The address count rose while other measures fell over the same period. Bitquery reported about $1.35 billion in Polygon USDT0 supply on August 27, 2025, and about $798 million on October 7, 2026—a reported 41% decline. It also reported a 42% decline in addresses holding at least $10, to about 720,000 on October 7, 2026.

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Measure Bitquery’s reported figure What it tells you
Positive-balance addresses About 8.05 million on October 7, 2026 How many addresses held any amount, including tiny balances
Addresses with less than $0.01 48% of counted holder addresses on October 7, 2026 How much the headline count includes balances worth under one cent
Addresses holding at least $10 About 720,000 on October 7, 2026; down 42% over the measured post-upgrade period A balance-qualified address count, not a count of people
Polygon USDT0 supply About $1.35 billion on August 27, 2025; about $798 million on October 7, 2026 Supply fell 41% over the same period even as the raw address count rose

Bitquery’s dollar estimates treat one token as one dollar. Its method estimates balances from token transfers and checks samples against balances reported by the token contract; it says larger-wallet counts were checked against the chain. These are on-chain address and balance measures, not a census of active users or customers.

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How the USDT0 upgrade affects the count

Polygon says its prior bridged USDT was upgraded to Polygon-native USDT0 and users did not need to take action. Bitquery describes the change as taking place in place at the same contract address, so addresses holding the prior token could continue to count after the upgrade. The migration therefore matters when interpreting the post-upgrade address series: a continuing address balance is not necessarily evidence of a newly acquired user.

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Polygon’s October 8, 2026 post says the migration routes future flows to USDT0’s canonical bridge and presents lower fees and deeper liquidity as benefits. Those are Polygon’s stated benefits, not independent findings in Bitquery’s holder-count investigation. Polygon’s migration announcement provides its explanation.

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What address poisoning is—and how to reduce the risk

In the pattern described by Bitquery, someone uses a look-alike wallet address resembling a real contact’s address, then sends a tiny amount so the fake address appears in transaction history. A person later copying an address from that history may choose the look-alike by mistake.

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  • Use a saved contact instead of selecting an address from transaction history.

Bitquery’s classification identifies addresses fitting a pattern; it does not establish the intent behind every transfer or prove that a particular address has victimized someone. The practical precaution is to verify the actual destination rather than assume a familiar-looking history entry is trustworthy.

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