SCARS Institute’s Encyclopedia of Scams™ Published Continuously for 25 Years
Sha Zhu Pan 殺主盤 – The New Trend Sweeping The Globe
Online ‘Pig Butchering’ Love Scams Have Gone Global After Getting Their Start In China
Portions from the South China Morning Post
The scam 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 fraud 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 scams, it comes down to some simple precautions:
- Never assume anyone online is trustworthy. Verify everything.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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At the SCARS Institute, we invite you to do your own research on the topics we speak about and publish, Our team investigates the subject being discussed, especially when it comes to understanding the scam victims-survivors experience. You can do Google searches but in many cases, you will have to wade through scientific papers and studies. However, remember that biases and perspectives matter and influence the outcome. Regardless, we encourage you to explore these topics as thoroughly as you can for your own awareness.
Statement About Victim Blaming
Some of our articles discuss various aspects of victims. This is both about better understanding victims (the science of victimology) and their behaviors and psychology. This helps us to educate victims/survivors about why these crimes happened and to not blame themselves, better develop recovery programs, and to help victims avoid scams in the future. At times this may sound like blaming the victim, but it does not blame scam victims, we are simply explaining the hows and whys of the experience victims have.
These articles, about the Psychology of Scams or Victim Psychology – meaning that all humans have psychological or cognitive characteristics in common that can either be exploited or work against us – help us all to understand the unique challenges victims face before, during, and after scams, fraud, or cybercrimes. These sometimes talk about some of the vulnerabilities the scammers exploit. Victims rarely have control of them or are even aware of them, until something like a scam happens and then they can learn how their mind works and how to overcome these mechanisms.
Articles like these help victims and others understand these processes and how to help prevent them from being exploited again or to help them recover more easily by understanding their post-scam behaviors. Learn more about the Psychology of Scams at www.ScamPsychology.org
Psychology Disclaimer:
All articles about psychology and the human brain on this website are for information & education only
The information provided in this article is intended for educational and self-help purposes only and should not be construed as a substitute for professional therapy or counseling.
While any self-help techniques outlined herein may be beneficial for scam victims seeking to recover from their experience and move towards recovery, it is important to consult with a qualified mental health professional before initiating any course of action. Each individual’s experience and needs are unique, and what works for one person may not be suitable for another.
Additionally, any approach may not be appropriate for individuals with certain pre-existing mental health conditions or trauma histories. It is advisable to seek guidance from a licensed therapist or counselor who can provide personalized support, guidance, and treatment tailored to your specific needs.
If you are experiencing significant distress or emotional difficulties related to a scam or other traumatic event, please consult your doctor or mental health provider for appropriate care and support.
Also read our SCARS Institute Statement about Professional Care for Scam Victims – click here to go to our ScamsNOW.com website.
My PBS not only in shock about losing a great deal of money, but really disappointed that the relationship I thought I had was completely fake.