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Persuasive Schemes for Financial Exploitation in Online Romance Scam: An Anatomy on Sha Zhu Pan (杀猪盘) in China

Fangzhou Wang ; Xiaoli Zhou (2022) — Victims & Offenders

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DOI: 10.1080/15564886.2022.2051109 (opens in a new tab)

Type:   Journal Article
Country:   United States
Tags:   China, Financial Exploitation, Fraudulent Investment, Persuasion, Pig Butchering, Romance Scams, Social Engineering
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Synopsis

            
This IRB-approved qualitative study analyzed 40 complete Chinese Sha Zhu Pan victim narratives selected from 175 Zhihu posts published from January through July 2021 and four de-identified police reports containing case details and chat histories. Two authors thematically coded and translated the material, resolved disagreements, and reported inter-coder reliability of 0.80. The adapted persuasion model supported its three proposed mechanisms and added four tactics: fabricated personal details, authority cues, demands reframed through customer-service identities, and real-world events used to justify an exit. The four police cases supplied useful triangulation but were few because of security and access constraints; selected public narratives and a short collection period also limit representativeness.

          

        
                  

            
Identified Gaps

            
Prior English-language research had not examined Sha Zhu Pan’s problematic nature or scammers’ persuasive techniques. Existing Chinese literature largely described general characteristics or legal issues, with limited qualitative criminological work. The authors identify offender persuasion as a missing element in explaining how fraudulent events develop, and note that a complete picture of Sha Zhu Pan still requires further research.

          

        
                  

            
Methods

            
IRB-approved qualitative thematic analysis of 40 complete Sha Zhu Pan victim narratives selected from 175 Zhihu posts dated January–July 2021, supplemented by four de-identified Chinese police reports containing case details and chat histories. Two authors coded themes, compared and resolved inconsistencies, translated findings, and obtained inter-coder reliability of 0.80. Analysis adapted Gardner’s persuasion framework to stages of pig hunting, grooming, and harvesting.

          

        
                  

            
Limitations

            
The police-report sample was small (four cases) because of security and data-access constraints. Zhihu’s anti-crawler technology prevented comprehensive collection of discussion-board posts and limited sample optimization. Most qualitative material consisted of victim testimonials, whose emotional descriptions may affect objectivity in reconstructing events. The authors recommend offender interviews to address this limitation.

          

        
                  

            
Future Work

            
Study why Sha Zhu Pan scammers offend and the forces driving their choices; examine offender behavioral patterns, including risk-avoidance strategies; apply multiple criminological and non-criminological theories (e.g., interpersonal deception, deterrence, rational choice); and interview offenders to address the limits of victim-testimonial data.

          

              

    
    

        
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