Internet scams have increased in recent years along with the rise of social networks as well, something that causes the victims of these crimes to multiply as well.

One of the most recent forms of fraud to emerge is the so-called “slaughtering of pigs”, a type of crime which according to various international media publications, such as the BBC in the UK, seeks to empty the accounts of those affected. .

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In that sense, according to the media publication, what distinguishes this modality from others is that cybercriminals seek to manipulate their victims emotionally to confiscate their funds over a relatively long period of time.

Basically, in the “slaughter of pigs” scammers gradually approach their target and, little by little, convince them to invest large sums of money in some kind of project, most often related to cryptocurrencies. According to specialists consulted by the BBC, this type of crime is very similar to so-called “love scams”, where criminals approach their victims with romantic intentions to steal their money.

“What is different from this crime is the time that fraudsters spend fattening up victims and then slaughtering them when they make them invest. This is mainly related to investing with cryptocurrencies or virtual currencies,” said Luis Orellana, the network’s executive secretary. fighting cybercrime in Europe and Latin America CIBELA, and cited by BBC Mundo.

The time of “fattening” their target refers to the fact that scammers are looking for ways to form bonds of friendship with the people they want to steal, at this point a conversation related to tastes, emotions, feelings, etc. arises, so Affinity develops between the parties.

After building the link, the crooks propose investing on different platforms that promise instant profits and, while it is true that at first the victim may make a profit, it is just an illusion to encourage him to invest more.

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After the target invests the required amount of money, the scammers disappear along with the invested funds, the details of which are posted.

According to the media, this type of scam started in late 2019 in China, and its potential victims are people between the ages of 24 and 40, almost always with a university or doctoral education.