Glossary/Pig butchering

Glossary term

Pig butchering

Pig butchering is a long-con scam that builds trust through romance or friendship, then steers you into fake investments — often cryptocurrency — until your money is gone.

What it is

The name comes from fattening the pig before slaughter: scammers invest weeks or months in chat rapport before asking for money. They may pose as a successful professional who stumbled into your DMs, a dating match, or a helpful investor tipster.

Unlike a quick phishing email, pig butchering feels personal. That emotional investment is the trap — by the time the opportunity appears, many victims want to believe.

How it works

  1. Contact — A wrong-number text, dating app match, or social DM starts friendly conversation.
  2. Grooming — Daily chats, flattery, and shared life updates build trust; they avoid meeting in person.
  3. Hook — They introduce a trading platform, crypto tip, or exclusive investment that shows early gains.
  4. Deposits — You are coached to invest more; dashboards show fake profits.
  5. Harvest — Withdrawals fail unless you pay taxes or fees; then the scammer disappears.
  6. Romance — scam scripts and fake trading apps often overlap in the same playbook.

Red flags

  • A new online connection who quickly steers talk toward investing or crypto
  • Pressure to move chat to a private app and keep the relationship secret
  • Investment platforms you cannot find in reputable app stores or reviews
  • Early profits that only exist on their dashboard, with blocked withdrawals
  • Requests for more money to unlock funds, pay taxes, or raise account limits
  • Reluctance to video-call, meet, or introduce mutual friends

What to do if you’re targeted

  • **Stop sending money** and cut contact with the person and any platform support they introduced.
  • **Do not pay** extra release, tax, or fee demands — that is usually the next layer of the scam.
  • **Document** chats, wallet addresses, and payment records; contact your bank or exchange about recovery options.
  • **Report** to ReportFraud.ftc.gov and the FBI's IC3.gov (U.S.); also report the profile to the dating or social platform.
  • **If romance was involved**, lean on trusted friends or a counselor — these scams are designed to isolate you.
  • **Optional check-in:** a free identity scan if you shared ID photos, SSN, or account details along the way.

Related terms

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