Imagine you get this random text from an unknown number out of the blue: “My dog needs to be seen by a vet right away. Can you help me?” Do you respond to let the person know they have the wrong number? Do you ignore it? What do you think most people would do?
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How to Steam an Egg
Wednesday 11:19AM
This type of message is one of the many used by scammers to hook people into in what’s being called “Pig Butchering,” a scam that led to victims losing $429 million in 2021, according to the Internet Crime Complaint Center’s press release about online safety earlier this year.
What is “Pig Butchering?”
Pig Butchering is a scam where scammers target victims and form a friendly relationship for days or weeks, presenting themselves as financially stable individuals, eventually encouraging them to invest in crypto before convincing them to transfer their assets to a fraudulent website the scammer controls.
The scam relies heavily on building strong rapport with the victim and it’s what makes the technique unique: Most victims consider the scammers “friends” and build a foundation that is not based on investing, money, or crypto. They often lure their victims by posing as young, attractive people.
The scammer will direct the conversation to money once enough trust is formed in the relationship, while attributing their financial…
