What is the pig-butchering dating app scam?

Pig-butchering, for example, is a scamming trend that’s being used to victimise people and swindle them out of money.

This act includes forming a romantic connection to someone, and grooming them into giving their money away. It’s called pig-butchering as the match is being groomed or ‘fattened’ before being robbed.

Usually it looks like convincing the person that you’re having a lot of success investing money, forcing them to also give up their money to ‘invest’ in.

Once the money has been transferred, the scammer typically disappears.

Sadly, it’s a trend that has been happening a lot and is becoming one of the biggest cons happening right now, according to Which?.

The consumer group found other rising scams, such as fake missing person appeals and dodgy apps to obtain people’s banking data.

The fake missing person appeal looks like sharing what seems to be a missing person post, then editing the post once it gets a lot of shares, to post surveys and other sites that make money off clicks.

Which? recommended that when it comes to connecting with people on dating apps, watch out for certain behaviours.

Are they love-bombing you (overwhelming you with gifts and attention), are they pressuring you to move to a different talking platform, are they reluctant to meet up, or do they keep bringing up the benefits of investment?

Lisa Barber, the computing editor of Which?, said: ‘It’s appalling that 2023 has seen scammers continuing to thrive, as a new wave of convincing scams bombards consumers from every direction. The sad theme of all these scams is that tech platforms – whether social media, app stores or payment services – don’t always keep you safe.’

But, she stressed, it’s also up to tech companies to tackle the problem.

She added: ‘Responsibility should not fall solely on the shoulders of consumers. Tech platforms and the government need to up their game and better prevent scammers reaching potential victims.’