Interpol is urging the abandonment of the term 'pig butchering' to describe investment scams, citing its dehumanizing nature and potential to further stigmatize victims. The term, originating from Chinese slang, refers to victims being gradually 'fattened' before being exploited. Officials believe using more straightforward terms like 'investment scams' or 'romance baiting' is more appropriate.
The rise of so-called pig butchering investment scams over the past few years largely caught the world unawares, capitalizing on conditions surrounding pandemic lockdowns and global economic instability to fool people into giving away their money to attackers.
More than 200,000 people are believed to have been trafficked to giant “scam centers” in Southeast Asia, where they are forced to scam victims abroad and can be beaten or tortured if they refuse or try to leave. Workers set up legitimate-looking social media accounts they can use to target potential victims, and they follow scripts for interacting with targets. Managers of the scam operations also oversee efforts to launder money once victims have made payments.
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