Growing ‘pig butchering’ scam costing victims billions | #datingscams | #lovescams

AUSTIN (KXAN) — On the search for love, many people turn to dating apps, but a few friendly texts with a potential match can quickly turn into one of the newest and fastest growing scams.

“Pig butchering” or “pig slaughtering” is a crypto scam in which victims are enticed to put money into an account, essentially fattening that account up, before disappearing with large amounts of cryptocurrency.

A recent post from the Austin Police Department highlights the growing scam and what you should look for so you don’t become a victim.

“The scammer works to make an emotional relationship with their victim with the end goal of persuading the victim to invest cryptocurrency into a fictitious website controlled by the scammer,” said APD Detective Nicoletti.

How to avoid becoming a victim?

Do not send money, trade, or invest with a person you have only met online.

Do not speak about your financial position or investments.

Do not share personal information with people or online persons whom you have not validated , or don’t trust.

Be wary of large interest earnings on short-term investments.

Romance Scams on the Rise

According to the Federal Trade Commission, over the last five years, people have reported losing $1.3 billion to romance scams, which is more than any other FTC fraud category.

Romance scammers aren’t just using dating apps, but also private messaging people as well.

If you suspect you are being scammed or have been scammed you should contact APD or IC3.gov.