“Pig ButcheringPig Butchering Sha Zhu Pan 殺主盤 “Pig Butchering” This is a scam type that originated in China involving the scammer developing a relationship with the victim - sometimes romantic sometimes not - and leading the victim to invest in a fake company or asset. These typically target smart younger women.” Romance/Investment ScamsInvestment Scams When a caller claims to have a promising investment opportunity that will help you get rich quick, it's likely a scam. – Overview

Sha Zhu PanSha Zhu Pan Sha Zhu Pan 殺主盤 “Pig Butchering” This is a scam type that originated in China involving the scammer developing a relationship with the victim - sometimes romantic sometimes not - and leading the victim to invest in a fake company or asset. These typically target smart younger women. 殺主盤

A SCARSSCARS SCARS - Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Inc. A government registered crime victims' assistance & crime prevention nonprofit organization based in Miami, Florida, U.S.A. SCARS supports the victims of scams worldwide and through its partners in more than 60 countries around the world. Incorporated in 2015, its team has 30 years of continuous experience educating and supporting scam victims. Visit www.AgainstScams.org to learn more about SCARS. Insight

Sha Zhu Pan 殺主盤 – The New Trend Sweeping The Globe

Online ‘Pig Butchering’ Love ScamsScams A Scam is a confidence trick - a crime -  is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust through deception. Scams or confidence tricks exploit victims using their credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, irresponsibility, or greed and exploiting that. Researchers have defined confidence tricks as "a distinctive species of fraudulent conduct ... intending to further voluntary exchanges that are not mutually beneficial", as they "benefit con operators ('con men' - criminals) at the expense of their victims (the 'marks')". A scam is a crime even if no money was lost. Have Gone Global After Getting Their Start In China

Portions from the South China Morning Post

The scamScam A Scam is a confidence trick - a crime -  is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust through deception. Scams or confidence tricks exploit victims using their credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, irresponsibility, or greed and exploiting that. Researchers have defined confidence tricks as "a distinctive species of fraudulent conduct ... intending to further voluntary exchanges that are not mutually beneficial", as they "benefit con operators ('con men' - criminals) at the expense of their victims (the 'marks')". A scam is a crime even if no money was lost. involves building a relationship, often romantic, with a victim before convincing them to make a fraudulent investment. TheVictims are often well-educated women and the amount of money stolen tends to be significant.

A scamming strategy called “Pig Butchering” that started in China is spreading beyond both border and language, transforming into a global fraudFraud In law, fraud is intentional deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain (money or other assets), or to deprive a victim of a legal right. Fraud can violate civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrator to avoid the fraud or recover monetary compensation) or criminal law (e.g., a fraud perpetrator may be prosecuted and imprisoned by governmental authorities), or it may cause no loss of money, property, or legal right but still be an element of another civil or criminal wrong. The purpose of fraud may be monetary gain or other benefits, for example by obtaining a passport, travel document, or driver's license, or mortgage fraud, where the perpetrator may attempt to qualify for a mortgage by way of false statements. A fraud can also be a hoax, which is a distinct concept that involves deliberate deception without the intention of gain or of materially damaging or depriving a victim. racket.

The primary victims of the scheme outside China are Chinese nationals or ethnically Chinese people living in Southeast Asia. But more than a third of the duped people were non-Chinese people in North America and Asia, showing how the demographic targeted is rapidly expanding.

Called “SHA ZHU PAN” 殺主盤 in Chinese, or “Pig Butchering” in English

The scam involves the perpetrator building a relationship, often romantic but not always, with the victim over months, akin to fattening the pig, before convincing them to invest money into a fake venture, slaughtering the animal.

NOTE: The Africans and Latin Americans (especially based in Brazil) have started to pick up this approach too!

The losses were often significant, averaging US$98,000 based on 240 victims surveyed by the Global Anti-Scam Organisation. About 70 percent of the victims were women according to many sources.

Unlike traditional romance scams, most of those who fell for “pig-butchering” scams were people in their 20s and 30s who have a decent education, with nearly 90 percent of them holding a bachelor’s degree or higher.

The immense scale, professional training, and organized operation behind each scam are astonishingly sophisticated.

The most successful perpetrators are irresistible online conversationalists who are incredibly well-versed about life and finances in the cities and countries they target. The scam left about a third of the victims in debt, and over 40 percent lost more than half of their net worth.

These scams started becoming common in North America in late 2020.

Far too often these scams destroy the lives of people who had bright futures at the prime of their careers – draining bank accounts, breaking families, straining marriages, derailing life goals, and triggering suicides.

Pig butchering was first reported in China in the early 2010s, but it spread like wildfire after 2018 because Chinese scammers took advantage of ethnically Chinese people interested in the gambling industry in Southeast Asia.

As with all relationship scamsRelationship Scam A Relationship Scam is a one-to-one criminal act that involves a trust relationship and uses deception & manipulation to get a victim to give to the criminal something of value, such as money! Click here to learn more: What Is A Relationship Scam?, it comes down to some simple precautions:

1. Never assume anyone online is trustworthy. Verify everything.
2. Never let money enter into any online relationship. Even if it is as simple as an investment recommendation, or they have an emergency, never use your own money for anything related to it.
3. Do not let online relationships stay online – make sure there is a real person by having THEM come to visit you. Always keep the home-field advantage for your safety.
4. Always talk about who you meet and are talking to with your friends and family so you have more objective guidance on what can quickly become too intense for good decision-making.