Scams known as pig butchering have experienced a significant increase in recent years, becoming a global threat that combines elements of romance and investment fraud. These scams involve criminals establishing trusting relationships with victims and then persuading them to invest in fraudulent schemes, often involving cryptocurrencies. Losses to victims can amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Faced with this alarming situation, Meta – the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp – has intensified its efforts to combat these fraudulent practices. According to a report published in November 2024, Meta has removed more than two million accounts linked to scam centres located in Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, United Arab Emirates and the Philippines. These actions are part of a broader strategy to dismantle the criminal organisations responsible for these scams.

What is pig butchering?

The term pig butchering refers to a tactic in which fraudsters build trusting relationships with their victims, often through social networks, dating apps or messaging, with the ultimate goal of convincing them to make investments in fraudulent platforms. These investments are often related to cryptocurrencies, and victims are lured with promises of high returns. Once victims have invested significant sums, the fraudsters disappear with the funds.

In Catalonia, as in the rest of the world, the impact of pig butchering scams is widely known. The Mossos d’Esquadra have detected an increase in complaints related to investment fraud through contacts established through social networks or instant messaging applications. The victims, often people with a vulnerable profile or in a situation of loneliness, are emotionally seduced by fraudsters operating from abroad, but who use digital tools and linguistic impersonations that pass them off as local residents. The digital trail of these crimes often makes investigations more difficult, making it necessary to strengthen international cooperation and technological training of Catalan law enforcement agencies.

Who is behind these scams?

Many of these operations are run by transnational criminal organisations operating from fraud centres in Southeast Asia. These centres often operate with forced labour, where victims of human trafficking are forced to participate in fraudulent activities under threat and coercion. These operations have proliferated in countries such as Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and the Philippines, taking advantage of the lack of government control and local corruption. 

Meta’s approach to combating these scams

Meta has taken several measures to address this problem:

• Policy against Dangerous Organizations and Individuals (DOI): under this policy, Meta designates these criminal organisations as dangerous, banning them from its platforms and implementing enforcement tools to detect and remove related content.
• Collaboration with the authorities: Meta works closely with law enforcement agencies globally to share information about these criminal operations, facilitating investigations and legal action against those responsible.
• Cooperation with other technology companies: the company collaborates with other companies in the sector to share information on threats and develop joint strategies to combat these scams. For example, Meta worked with OpenAI to detect and disrupt fraudulent activities that used artificial intelligence tools to generate misleading content. 

How to protect yourself from these scams

In this context, it is essential that public institutions and private actors in Catalonia collaborate to promote cybersecurity and citizen prevention. Digital awareness campaigns, training in schools and immediate victim services are key tools for dealing with a threat that combines emotional manipulation with financial engineering. And, at the same time, it is necessary to report and highlight how these international fraud networks operate with impunity thanks to the lack of regulation in the global digital environment.

It is critical that users are aware of the tactics used in pig butchering scams and take steps to protect themselves:

• Be wary of unsolicited messages: if you receive messages from strangers through social media, dating apps, or messaging, be cautious and avoid sharing personal or financial information.
• Verify investment opportunities: before investing money, it is advisable to thoroughly investigate the investment platform or opportunity. Promises of high returns with little risk are worth being wary of.
• Don’t transfer money to people you don’t know personally: avoid sending money or financial information to individuals you’ve only met online.
• Use online security tools: keep your devices updated and use security software to protect against potential threats.

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