I got a call from Jim in Sacramento about a new friend he met on Facebook. She messaged him out of the blue and they hit it off (just friends, he’s married). Now, she’s introduced him to her aunt, who happens to be great with crypto.
“The aunt showed me three trades where I made 15% with a $500 investment in 10 minutes while I watched on WhatsApp. I have lost no money at this point. Before I give the aunt $10,000, I wanted to know your thoughts.”
I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news
This is a classic pig butchering scam. I know it all seems like things just fell into place, and that’s the point.
How am I so sure? What’s happening here is following the exact script these criminals use. I’ll outline it for you.
- Cold outreach: It starts with a random text, friend request, DM or comment. They’re friendly and chatty.
- Feeding time: They want to know about your life, maybe send you photos and tell you about what they’re in. After a while, money comes up. It’s usually under the guise of an investment opportunity.
- Fattening the pig: This is where money changes hands — but only a tiny amount. They’ll ask you to test with a small investment. Surprise, your money is growing already!
- Slaughter: Now you’re convinced and have invested even more. At this stage, victims can be in for tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. You may realize something is wrong and ask to remove your money. It’s way too late.
Jim, you’re the pig, and you’re getting greedy. Keep it up, and you will be slaughtered.
🚩 Red flag 1: A random woman messaged you out of nowhere and wanted to be friends. Sorry, but that never ends well.
🚩 Red flag 2: This stranger just happens to have a relative who has made it big in crypto. Who shares that with someone they just met? I wouldn’t.
🚩 Red flag 3: The initial investment went gangbusters.
You need to walk away. Document everything first, though. Take screenshots of your conversations, the websites these people have directed you to, bank statements, all of it. This is important evidence if you try to get your cash back and everything hits the fan.
Then, it’s time to unfriend and block your new pal.
🤑 Know someone who should read this? Be a pal and share this article with them. Let’s protect the folks we care about from slimy scammers!
