Can you imagine connecting with someone online, building a relationship over a year, confiding in them, and trusting them enough to send $10,000 for an investment opportunity they’ve carefully guided you through—only to find out you’ve been the victim of “Pig Butchering”?
The Rise of Pig Butchering Scams
Have you heard of Pig Butchering? In Chinese slang, it’s called “Sha Zhu Pan,” and it’s one of the most lucrative forms of cybercrime today. Scammers create fake personas online, identifying targets (or “pigs”) who have money and weak cyber defenses. Over weeks, months, or even years, they build trust and convince their victims to invest in fraudulent opportunities—often in cryptocurrency but not always. Then, they “butcher” the pig, draining them of every last dollar they can extract.
Sound extreme? Unfortunately, this is the harsh reality of modern cybercrime.
Globally, over $500 billion has been stolen through scams like these, and the market is only expanding. In countries like Singapore, online scamming has become the most common felony. Even more disturbingly, scam operations now employ over one million workers worldwide—many of whom are held against their will in scamming complexes, treated like prisoners, or even tortured.
Cybercrime vs. Drug Trafficking: Why Scamming is More Dangerous
Online scamming has surpassed the illegal drug trade in both scale and impact. But why is it so much more dangerous than traditional organized crime?
1. Anyone Can Be a Victim
Unlike drug trafficking, which requires voluntary participation, cyber scams can target anyone who is online. If you display traits like fear, loneliness, greed, boredom, or affluence, you become a potential “pig” for cybercriminals. No one is immune.
2. Beyond the Reach of the Law
Many cybercriminal networks operate in “scam states” that buy protection from politicians and government officials. These operations are massive—some scam complexes rival the size of a Google campus, with over 30 buildings and billions of dollars in circulation.
3. Sophisticated Operations
These scams are highly organized, with different groups assigned to:
Identify and groom the victim
Educate them on the fake investment
Launder the stolen money
Cybercriminals invest heavily in creating realistic interactions to gain trust, making their scams incredibly difficult to detect until it’s too late.
4. The Power of Innovation
Perhaps the scariest aspect of cybercrime is its ability to evolve. Every second, cyberattacks occur, generating vast amounts of stolen data for future scams. With AI-powered tools that mimic both messaging and voice, scammers can deceive even the most cautious individuals. For example, a British engineering firm, Arup, lost $25 million after cybercriminals used AI to replicate the voice and face of the company’s head of finance to approve fraudulent transactions.
The War on Cybercrime: Can We Fight Back?
In my lifetime, I’ve seen the war on drugs fought through legalization, education, and treatment. Unfortunately, when it comes to cybercrime, there are far fewer defenses. While education is critical, international cooperation is necessary to crack down on this growing crisis. The United States and China—two global powerhouses—must work together to combat this epidemic.
At Money Vehicle, our mission is to raise awareness and educate students on proactive techniques to protect themselves. With younger generations being so comfortable online, they are already at risk—unknowingly being raised as “pigs” on digital farms in countries they’ve never even heard of.
Cybercrime isn’t just a threat—it’s a global crisis. Stay vigilant, stay educated, and fight the hackers.
See you at the next stop!
