Pig butchering

A form of fraud in which scammers use emotional manipulation on dating apps, texts, or social media to manipulate people into investing in fake schemes.

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The term pig butchering comes from the idea of ‘fattening up’ victims before financially "slaughtering" them with fake investment schemes. Scammers may spend weeks or months building trust, leaving victims not only financially ruined but emotionally devastated.

Recent trends

Pig butchering is one of today's fastest-rising—and most financially devastating—fraud tactics. The rise of crypto has made these scams harder to trace, and AI is helping fraudsters build out complex and convincing personas at scale.

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Pig butchering

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