Pig butchering scam

Pig butchering is a slow, patient form of social engineering that feels like a betrayal of intimacy, and it works by turning private trust into public theft. Scammers first find someone on dating apps or social networks and then spend weeks or months building a relationship to lower a victim’s guard. They mix romance and financial talk so the emotional bond becomes the lever they use to push money toward fake investments. Victims are led to use unfamiliar trading platforms or software wallets that are controlled by the scammer or by phoney interfaces. The fraud often asks for small proofs of loyalty at first and then larger transfers, and sometimes it persuades victims to recruit family members to add more money. Recovery is rare once funds are moved into criminal-controlled wallets and then laundered through many accounts. The red flags are simple and repeatable: offers of steady high returns that sound unreal, pressure to act now, unsolicited links to unknown trading sites, requests to install remote-access apps, and any demand for private keys or seed phrases. Trust your doubts when someone you met online becomes your investment advisor overnight. Protect yourself by using reputable exchanges for buying and selling and moving long-term holdings into hardware wallets or other cold storage that you control. Keep your seed phrase secret, never share passwords, and enable strong two-factor authentication. Verify any platform by looking for independent reviews and by checking official support channels rather than links provided by a contact. If you are asked to transfer large sums, pause and talk to a trusted friend or a qualified adviser before you act. Save evidence if you suspect fraud by taking screenshots and recording transaction IDs, then report the crime to the authorities and to the platforms used; swift reporting can sometimes stop further losses. Awareness of the psychology behind these schemes is your first defense because the scam exploits emotion more than technology. Learn the typical script, teach it to people you care about, and practice simple habits like test transfers and independent verification to make it harder for someone to turn affection into a conduit for theft.