Meta has intensified its fight against pig butchering scams, removing over 2 million accounts linked to these operations on Facebook and Instagram. Meta has removed these accounts from its platform and has partnered with law enforcement agencies in the affected countries to share intelligence and disrupt these scam operations at their core.
Meta Removes 2 Million Scam Accounts
In one of the latest public releases Meta announced removing 2 million accounts across its platforms, allegedly linked to pig butchering and similar scams. The wave of bans happened throughout the entire year, with most of the accounts being located in Asia. Some analysts suppose they belong to so-called “scam farms” – a type of organized crime targeted at performing online scams using underpaid scam agents.
This workforce, in turn, may consist of people who appear to be victims of scams by themselves. According to Meta, these crime groups often lure unsuspecting job seekers with enticing job postings on local job boards, forums, and recruitment platforms. Once recruited, these individuals are forced to work as online scammers, often under the threat of physical abuse. By the way, come read our dedicated article about Facebook job scams – some of the schemes we’ve described definitely took place in this campaign.
Despite Asia being named as the primary location of origin for the scam accounts, there are other countries that participated in these scams. It is often to see questionable job offerings in communities dedicated to helping people in huge debt, and I won’t be surprised to discover one of those offers being joining a scam team.
What are Pig Butchering Scams?
Named after the practice of “fattening up” pigs before slaughter, pig butchering scams involve cybercriminals cultivating trust with victims, often through elaborate romantic or personal connections. The scammers eventually lure victims into fraudulent investments, typically something related to high-risk equity like cryptocurrencies or derivatives. Once the victim invests their money, scammers allow small withdrawals to build confidence before disappearing with the funds when they demand for larger withdrawals.
While commonly categorized as romance scams or investment frauds, pig butchering has a unique modus operandi, with elements of both being blended together. The resulting financial losses are significant, with estimates reaching hundreds of millions of dollars annually.
Although the scam centers are localized, their operations target users worldwide. The scammers use social media, dating apps, emails, and messaging platforms to contact potential victims. Upon establishing the connection, they move the communication to private channels – usually on crypto apps or fake investment sites – where the platforms’ abuse-reporting mechanisms cannot be leveraged.
Preventive Measures
To protect yourself from pig butchering scams, it’s essential to follow several key precautions. First, avoid sharing personal information online. Scammers use the details you disclose to tailor their approach to your situation.
Always verify the identities of people you interact with. You can use reverse image search to check if the person’s photo has been stolen from another source, or generated with the help of AI. Take your time building relationships online; scammers often try to escalate the relationship exceptionally quickly, in order to move on to financial matters as soon as possible.
Never send money to someone you only know through the Internet. If you find a situation suspicious, discuss it with someone you trust. Anyway, it’s best to cut off communication and report the suspicious account or interaction to the appropriate authorities.
