What is a pig butchering scam?▾
Pig butchering (from the Chinese 'shā zhū pán' — 'killing pig plate') is a long-form crypto investment scam where a stranger spends weeks or months building a friendship or romance with you on a dating app, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, or accidentally-on-the-wrong-number text. Once trust is built (you're 'fattened'), they introduce you to a 'sure thing' crypto trading platform run by their 'uncle' or 'mentor'. Early deposits show fake profits to encourage scaling up. When you try to withdraw, the platform demands fees, taxes, or 'credit scores' you must pay first — and your real funds are gone.
How does the pig butchering checker work?▾
Paste the conversation, the platform URL, the wallet address you were asked to deposit to, or a screenshot of your 'trading dashboard'. ScamGuard's AI scores the language for known pig-butchering patterns, checks the URL and any wallet against scam databases, and grades the platform's legitimacy. You get a verdict and a recommended next step.
How long do pig butchering scams take?▾
Days to many months. The 'fattening' period is the scam — by design. Scammers run dozens of victims in parallel and only need a fraction to pay out enormous sums to make the operation hugely profitable. The longer the grooming, the larger the eventual loss.
What platforms do scammers use?▾
Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, Facebook Dating, LinkedIn, WhatsApp 'wrong number' messages, Instagram DMs, Telegram crypto groups, and dating-app inbound traffic that's immediately moved off-platform. The grooming chat almost always migrates to WhatsApp or Telegram early.
Are the trading platforms real?▾
No. They are custom websites and apps that look identical to legitimate exchanges (Binance, Coinbase, OKX). You'll see realistic price charts, candlesticks, order books, and an account balance that grows in real time. None of it is real — it's a slick UI in front of a database the scammers control. Your deposits are immediately moved off-platform.
Can I get my money back?▾
Sometimes — if you act within hours and the funds haven't been laundered through mixers. ScamGuard's deep investigation includes wallet tracing. Report to your exchange's compliance team immediately and file a case with local cybercrime authorities. Beware of 'recovery agents' that contact you afterwards — they are a second scam targeting the same victim.
Why is it called 'pig butchering'?▾
The Chinese-language criminal slang describes the victim as the pig and the long grooming as fattening it before slaughter. The phrase is grim but accurate — every part of the scam is industrialised, from the script the operator follows to the technical platform built for the 'kill'.
Who runs these scams?▾
Predominantly large-scale operations in compounds across Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos), often using trafficked workers held against their will to run the scripts 12+ hours a day. The crews are highly organised and many compounds operate as joint ventures with local criminal networks.
How do I help a friend or relative caught in one?▾
Don't argue the facts immediately — victims are emotionally invested in the relationship and pushback often pushes them deeper. Show them this page. Show them reverse-image-search results on their 'partner's' photo. Show them ScamGuard's investigation. Slow disengagement combined with concrete evidence works better than confrontation. Loop in a family member they trust, and offer to help with the practical recovery steps once they accept it.