Lexicon of Abuse: “Pig Butchering”
“Pig butchering” is a term used to describe a scam, often involving cryptocurrency or online investments.
It’s believed to have originated in China, where ‘sha zhu pan’ or ‘shazhupan’ translates as ‘the killing pig game’.
The ´game’, from the groomers perspective is to ‘fat the pig before slaughter’, with the ‘pig’ being their target (victim) and the slaughter being the ‘ask’ - getting the money. They play the long game, spending weeks or months building up trust before stealing often large amounts of money.
It follows pretty much the seven stages of grooming although the ‘ask’ is money, not sex.
“Finding the Pig”
Victim selection: Scammers contact their targets through dating apps, social media, messaging apps, or even random texts. ‘Wrong number’ approaches are also common:
“Hi, are you still coming to dinner tonight?”
When you reply it’s the wrong person, they change tack:
“Oh, sorry! But you seem kind. Nice to meet you, maybe we can chat?”
Research: Scammers pretend to befriend or romantically pursue the victim, finding out what they can later use to persuade them to part with their money. It might be the house or holiday they’re working toward. It might be a family member they want to help out. It can be love.
They deliberately slowly build friendship. For people who’ve met on dating sites, where women often feel pressured toward sex by men, this can seem like a breath of fresh air, and gives the impression of being ‘decent’ and looking for a long term relationship rather than a hook up.
“Fattening the Pig”
Create a personal connection: The scammer will make themselves human, finding things they can do for, or have in common with, the victim.
“I feel like we have such a strong connection already.”
Meeting needs, establishing credentials: Over time, they weave a believable backstory, share fake investment successes, winning the victim’s confidence and trust .
“I’ve been investing in crypto lately — it’s changed my life.”
“I can show you how I doubled my money in just two weeks.”
Screenshots of fake trading dashboards showing huge profits.
Priming the target: The scammer will start to warm up their target towards their ask, “the kill”. Maybe they’ll part with something, appear excited by a big win…. at this stage it’s not uncommen for them to part with something, maybe a small but generous gift apparently celebrating a win. They aim to make you curious about/envious of their “success.”
“I’ve been lonely and it’s so nice to meet someone who understands me.” And so I’ll share this with you….
“I can teach you how to do it, it’s really simple.”
“The Kill”
The “Investment Opportunity”: The ask
Eventually, they introduce the victim to a fraudulent investment platform (often cryptocurrency, forex, or stocks). The platform looks legitimate, showing fake profits to encourage larger deposits. They often encourage small deposits first. The platform shows fake profits, and withdrawals may even work at first. The victim often invests more and more, sometimes even borrowing money. But when they try to withdraw funds, the scammers block access, demand extra fees, or disappear entirely.
“Here’s the platform I use — it’s very safe and exclusive.”
“See, you’re already earning! Imagine if you invested more.”
Becomes….
“You need to pay a tax/fee first.”
“Your account is frozen until you deposit more.”
Victims are often left with devastating financial losses and emotional trauma.
”Pig Butchering”: Red Flags
Watch out for:
overly polished or stilted English
emotionally intense very quickly.
unsolicited investment advice
“too good to be true” returns
avoiding video calls or in-person meetings.
pressure to move money to unfamiliar platforms.
Heavy emphasis on urgency or secrecy:
“Don’t tell others, they won’t understand this opportunity.”
Avoiding becoming “The Pig” (The target)
Be cautious with strangers online
If someone you don’t know contacts you out of the blue (social media, WhatsApp, Telegram, dating apps) and quickly shifts the conversation to finances, it’s a red flag.
Question “too good to be true” investments
Guaranteed high returns or ‘secret’ investment strategies are classic scam tactics. Even legitimate investments carry risk.
Check out platforms before sending money
Scammers often use fake trading apps or websites.
Search the company name plus the words “scam” or “fraud” online.
Verify with official regulators (e.g. the FCA).
Don’t share personal or financial information
Keep your bank details, ID photos, and crypto wallet keys private.
Be skeptical of urgency or emotional manipulation
Scammers may say: “You’ll miss out if you don’t act now” or use romance to cloud your judgment.
If You Believe You’ve Been Scammed
Stop sending money immediately.
Document everything. Save chats, screenshots, transaction receipts, and the scammer’s profile links.
Cut off contact. Having gathered the information, block the person on ALL platforms. This can feel really hard if there’s been a ‘love’ connection.
Report it: Report the account on the app/social site; and to Action Fraud (UK - this would, we believe, be the FCA in the USA, and in Australia there are numerous organisations.)
Contact your bank. They may be able to stop transfers or flag your account.
Victims often feel ashamed, but our research clearly shows that ANYONE can be scammed.
