Fake it till you make it: the psychological and communication tactics behind “Pig Butchering” scams
Asyalı, Ayşe Nur; Frank, Muriel-Larissa; Hölzmer, Pol (2026) — Journal of Cybersecurity
Type: Journal Article
Country: Global
Tags: victim experience, offender tactics, psychology, AI misuse, social engineering, prevention, Sha Zhu Pan, pig butchering, romance baiting, cybercrime, psychological theories, communication theories, qualitative methods, cryptocurrency investment fraud, pig_butchering, romance_scam, Sha_Zhu_Pan, social_engineering, psychological_theories, communication_theories, scam_manuals
Pig butchering is characterized as an advanced form of cyber-enabled social engineering that blends romantic engagement with investment schemes. While much of the existing scholarship emphasizes the experiences of victim...
An Anatomy of ‘Pig Butchering Scams’: Chinese Victims’ and Police Officers’ Perspectives
Han, Bing; Button, Mark (2025) — Deviant Behavior
Type: Journal Article
Country: United Kingdom
Tags: pig butchering scam, romance fraud, hybrid romance-investment scam, China, victims' perspectives, police perspectives, qualitative study, thematic analysis, pig butchering, victimisation
This article analyzes the hybrid romance–investment scam known as “pig butchering” (Sha Zhu Pan, 杀猪盘) from the perspectives of Chinese victims and police officers. Unlike traditional romance scams, pig butchering fuse...
Understanding the Characteristics of Pig Butchering Scams: Impact on Victims and Challenges for Law Enforcement in Indonesia
Aissyach, Aissyach Noor Chairinovadanti; Sigid, Sigid Suseno; Budi, Budi Arta Atmaja (2025) — KRTHA BHAYANGKARA
Type: Journal Article
Country: Indonesia
Tags: victim experience, offender tactics, law enforcement, platform policy, money mules, AI misuse, online dating platforms, cross-cultural
The study analyzes the pig-butchering scam, a cyber-enabled form of investment fraud that has expanded rapidly in Indonesia since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Also known as Sha Zhu Pan, this manipulative scheme bl...
“Why did I fall for it?” Exploring internet fraud susceptibility in the pig butchering scam
Xie, Ziyi; Duan, Zhizhuang (2024) — Security Journal
Type: Journal Article
Country: China
Tags: victim experience, platform policy, prevention
Pig butchering scam, known also as Sha Zhu Pan or 杀猪盘, represents a contemporary form of online fraud that initially targeted Asian victims. With the expansion of Southeast Asian fraud networks, the scheme has achieve...
Analysis of "Pig-Butchering Scam" Type of Network Fraud from the Legal Perspective
Fu, Zhenglang (2024) — Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media
Type: Journal Article
Country: China
Tags: victim experience, AI misuse
This paper examines pig-butchering scams (Sha Zhu Pan) from a legal perspective, focusing on their causes, operation, challenges for China’s legal system, and possible countermeasures. Pig-butchering scams are distinguis...
Are fraud victims nothing more than animals? Critiquing the propagation of “pig butchering” (Sha Zhu Pan, 杀猪盘)
Whittaker, Jack M.; Lazarus, Suleman; Corcoran, Taidgh (2024) — Journal of Economic Criminology
Type: Journal Article
Country: United Kingdom
The article explores the growing phenomenon of romance scams as a particularly harmful form of cybercrime that exploits emotional vulnerability for financial gain. The authors position romance scams within the wider land...
Victim-offender overlap: the identity transformations experienced by trafficked Chinese workers escaping from pig-butchering scam syndicate
Wang, Fangzhou (2024) — Trends in Organized Crime
Type: Journal Article
Country: United States
Tags: victim experience, offender tactics, platform policy, AI misuse, social engineering, prevention
This study explores the intersection of human trafficking and online romance fraud within the context of the pig-butchering scam (Sha Zhu Pan, 杀猪盘). While the scam is widely recognized for combining romance and invest...
Persuasive Schemes for Financial Exploitation in Online Romance Scam: An Anatomy on <i>Sha Zhu Pan</i> (杀猪盘) <i>in</i> China
Wang, F.; Zhou, X. (2022) — Victims & Offenders
Type: Journal Article
Country: United States
This catalog-style synopsis surveys persuasive schemes behind Sha Zhu Pan (杀猪盘), the online romance scam phenomenon observed in China that concentrates on financial exploitation. The entry outlines a broad interaction...
