A pig butchering scam is a type of fraud where scammers take time to build a friendly relationship with someone, then convince them to invest in fake opportunities and steal their money. These scams often involve cryptocurrency, but can target other assets too.
The name comes from a Southeast Asian Chinese term, sometimes called Sha Zhu Pan, which compares the victim to a pig being fattened before slaughter. Scammers build trust and offer small wins to the victim before taking larger amounts of money.
Scammers use a step-by-step approach that can last days, weeks, or even months. They start by reaching out on social media, dating apps, or messaging services. After building a friendly relationship and earning trust, they introduce a fake investment, often through a website or app they control. Victims may see small early payouts to encourage bigger investments. In the end, the victim cannot withdraw their money and the scammer disappears. This process of gaining trust, baiting, and then leaving is at the heart of the scam.
Scammers often start on regular platforms like dating sites, social networks, and chat apps. When it comes to the investment part, they set up fake trading platforms or broker websites, use copied websites, or run chatbots that pretend to be support staff. They might also use several fake accounts and stolen photos to look more believable.
Watch for quick promises of big profits, pressure to switch to private chats, and requests to invest in accounts that only take cryptocurrency. Scammers may also urge you to use certain apps or websites that block withdrawals or show fake balances. Other warning signs include new social profiles, stories that don’t add up, and requests for sensitive information like private keys. Noticing these signs early can help you avoid losing money.
Victims often lose a lot of money and feel betrayed, which can hurt their mental health and make it hard to trust others online. It is hard to recover because cryptocurrency payments usually cannot be reversed and fake platforms vanish quickly. This means victims suffer both financial and emotional losses.
If you think you are a target or have already sent money, stop sending more and save all your messages, screenshots, and receipts. Report what happened to the police and to national cybercrime or consumer protection agencies. Tell any cryptocurrency exchanges or payment services involved, and update your passwords and security settings. Reporting can help authorities spot patterns and might improve the chances of recovering your money.
Check a new online contact’s background and ask questions that a fake profile would not know how to answer. Only use trusted exchanges and wallets, never share your private keys or recovery phrases, and be careful with any investment that claims to be risk-free. Using hardware wallets and keeping your money on platforms you control can lower your risk. If you are unsure, ask a trusted friend or a professional for advice.
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