Interpol Seeks to Eliminate Term Pig Butchering from Usage

Interpol wants an end to the use of the term ‘Pig Butchering’ because it is said to be offensive to victims. Last month, the Dutch Banking Association (NVB) warned about pig butchering, which is a combination of dating fraud and investment fraud. Scammers first build a relationship of trust with victims and then entice them to invest large amounts of money.

“In ‘pig butchering’, people are tempted on a dating app to invest in crypto coins, such as Bitcoin,” Victim Support said. “This form of fraud, which originated in China six years ago, is now prevalent all over the world.” Last month, the police also paid attention to pig butchering in the Phenomenon Image 2024. “In the beginning, the impression is given that significant profits can be made, people believe this and transfer more and more money. But once the investments are large enough, contact with the date disappears and with it all the money. The victims are losing significant amounts of money. This is an increasing problem worldwide, known as pig butchering.”

Interpol states that the term comes from scammers who refer to their victims as “pigs”, who first “fatten” them by entering into a so-called relationship before “slaughtering” them by convincing them, often in rogue cryptocurrency schemes, to to invest, according to Interpol. The agency claims the term dehumanizes and shames victims, which would deter people from seeking help and sharing information with authorities. Instead, Interpol wants the term ‘romance baiting’ to be used from now on, because this term focuses on the actions of the perpetrator.

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