Pig Butchering Scam

The Chinese term "sha zhu pan"  - it technically means to fatten a pig before slaughtering it - but this is also a term for an Internet scam, which is often referred to as Pig Butchering ......

Sha Zhu Pan - Pig Butchering

 ..... and in particular it is the term oriental scammers (Yahoo Boys in West Africa) use to describe for 'Love or Romance Scams'. These scammers also operate Business Email Compromise (BEC) and crypto frauds (aimed primarily at Americans and Europeans, but also elsewhere), money laundering and illegal gambling scams (these last two, particularly the gambling, are aimed more at oriental Asians).

The 'pig-butchering' love scams started in China in 2016 (somewhat later than the West Africans, who started in the 1990's). They then expanded in to countries such as Taiwan, Cambodia, Mynanmar and Thailand - although most of the on-line scam centres compounds, known as "fraud factories" appear to be in Cambodia, Mynanmar and Thailand, and are Chinese-owned or linked to Chinese gangs, that are staffed by people lured by human traffickers running job scams in South East Asia, and then held prisoners - and now rival the Nigerians in the money being made. They largely target oriental women, for language and cultural reasons (as the West Africans have targeted US, UK and EU women for the very same reasons). However there have been reports of some attempts to target Orientals living in the West.

Their victims are usually from richer countries such as Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, and North America or Europe. About 70 per cent of the victims of the scams, were women aged between 25 and 40 years old, and the Asian victims in the West were predominantly highly educated - nearly 90 per cent held a bachelor's degree or higher.

A survey of victims suggest that the losses average US $134,940 (£121,013) per person, with a different emphasis on the type of scam per area, e.g. Pig Butchering in North America and Europe, Gambling in Asia, and Investment scams in Singapore, with victims in Singapore having lost more money to investment scams than, any other ruse in the last three years, where it hit a record high in 2021, with $190.9 million stolen in such scams.

In North America, the UK and some parts of Europe (where language allows), the 'pig-butchering' love scams are a big earner .... we have blog posted on these love scams before, and despite the constant publicity and warnings, women (and some men), continue to believe in the scammers, despite all the evidence that its just a con ... the clue should be in the very handsome rugged US marine type pictures of their male 'paramours' .... men who would be extremely unlikely to approach them in the real world ... as one victim said, "wow this guy's really handsome, I can't believe he's talking to me!" ... which is the big clue. 

Commonly Used US Soldier Fake Profile Image

The other clue is that these men just approach them over the internet from nowhere .... yet targets often don't ask why?

But while people are prepared to suspend their disbelief, and transfer their life savings to people that they have never met and who use bad English, or even have foreign African or Asian accents (whilst claiming to be British or Americans), then these frauds will continue to rake in millions, whilst ruining the lives of their victims .... who when they finally realise that they have been conned, are often left penniless and sometimes homeless as well ... their self respect destroyed.

I think its very telling that the Asian love scams carry this name .... the Chinese obviously have a warped sense of humour, as the connotations in English are so apt .... in the past the victims in the West were often women who are perhaps best, and more kindly described as well past their first bloom of youth and beauty, and so the double meaning of the cruel scam description hits home even more unkindly.

But in more recent times its a more industrial approach from the scammers, with hundreds of Facebook, Instagram and other social media accounts all hit with the same friends requests and the same profile, and sadly this volume approach pays off, as some of the requests find unsuspecting targets who never seem to recognise this cruel scam until its too late.

The BBC have produced several documentaries on the subject, such as this one. I have also written at least two previous posts on this scam (both contained advice on avoiding the scam) .... and there are countless more articles on it, such as this Facebook page aimed at exposing one group, out of many. 

But still women (and some men) worldwide fall for it ... love/sex (or the pursuit of it) it seems, continues to make them blind.