What is the 'pig butchering' scam? How fake relationships lead to crypto theft
Explainer explicitly connects fake relationships, dating apps and cryptocurrency-investment fraud; no actual transfer coded.
Prevention & supportData from The GDELT Project · Reviewed and interpreted by RSRC
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Find reporting by topic, place or language. Open a record to see why it was included and what the available evidence supports.
Matching coverage over time
The chart uses every search filter above and all matching records, across every results page. The percentage denominator is all included URLs in the same dates, before theme, language, country or text filters.
Distinct included URLs matching these filters in each observation month. Select a point to explore its records. On small screens, scroll the chart horizontally.
A URL counts once per month and can appear in several months or themes. Themes describe the current record assessment; months show URL observations, not when events or each claim first appeared. Warnings, allegations and reported experiences are all included when coded. Partial months, collection gaps and changes in sources affect both measures. A higher share does not establish a higher risk to victims.
Read the graph as a table
| Observation month | Matching URLs | All included URLs | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2025 | 591 | 591 | 100.0% |
| Feb 2025 | 1,629 | 1,629 | 100.0% |
| Mar 2025 | 561 | 561 | 100.0% |
| Apr 2025 | 390 | 390 | 100.0% |
| May 2025 | 398 | 398 | 100.0% |
| Jun 2025 | 209 | 209 | 100.0% |
| Jul 2025 | 522 | 522 | 100.0% |
| Aug 2025 | 447 | 447 | 100.0% |
| Sep 2025 | 613 | 613 | 100.0% |
| Oct 2025 | 483 | 483 | 100.0% |
| Nov 2025 | 392 | 392 | 100.0% |
| Dec 2025 | 333 | 333 | 100.0% |
| Jan 2026 | 530 | 530 | 100.0% |
| Feb 2026 | 1,106 | 1,106 | 100.0% |
| Mar 2026 | 360 | 360 | 100.0% |
| Apr 2026 | 491 | 491 | 100.0% |
| May 2026 | 785 | 785 | 100.0% |
| Jun 2026 | 842 | 842 | 100.0% |
| Jul 2026 | 1,143 | 1,143 | 100.0% |
| Aug 2026 | 640 | 640 | 100.0% |
| Sep 2026 | 638 | 638 | 100.0% |
| Oct 2026 | 30 | 30 | 100.0% |
12,949 matching media records
Each record represents a source web page, not a verified incident. Different URLs can describe the same event. About these records.
批量开发 App 招近百名聊手专骗单身男性：四川警方打掉特大电诈团伙，层层分销流水超 7000 万元
Police disrupt app-based romance-fraud operation targeting single men with paid gifts and false meeting promises. Reported turnover is not assigned as a verified victim-loss total.
Reported casePolri Ingatkan Bahaya Jebakan Love Scamming, Penanganan Disebut Perlu Kolaborasi Lintas Lembaga - Tribunnews.com
Indonesian officials warn about love scamming; truncated aggregate statistics are not coded as verified incidence.
Prevention & supportDecred是假平台教你如何拿回資金 - 停泊處 - udn部落格
The metadata explicitly connects romance with an alleged fraudulent exchange and claimed loss/debt. This templated promotional-looking blog is topically relevant, but does not verify a victim, an accusation against the named platform or any recovery promise.
Reported case重大通告#小心【Midjourney 是虚假陷阱】 - 防護手冊 - udn部落格
The promotional-looking description explicitly describes perfect romance becoming a financial trap and loneliness as context. General discussion, not an independently verified victim or platform accusation.
Commentary小心BitDa 假平台血本無歸現在揭露全過程 - 透視報告 - udn部落格
The metadata explicitly explains online romantic contact combined with foreign-exchange platform fraud. General prevention discussion, not a verified individual case or an endorsement of recovery advertising.
Prevention & support「投資をやれば生活が楽になる」ロマンス詐欺で暗号資産７００万円の被害 長崎の５０代女性
Police report Nagasaki woman lost about seven million yen in cryptocurrency through romance-investment scam.
Reported case【Decred】假投,資提領不出 挽回損失資金 - 觀察週記 - udn部落格
The metadata explicitly connects romance with an alleged fraudulent exchange and claimed loss/debt. This templated promotional-looking blog is topically relevant, but does not verify a victim, an accusation against the named platform or any recovery promise.
Reported caseBlockchain Week’s OnlyFans scandal, Lonely Heart Scammed for $3.3M: Asia Express
Crypto-news roundup explicitly names a lonely-heart scam and loss; retain mixed-scheme scope because the wider Hong Kong weekly amount is not attributable solely to romance fraud.
Related mentionTebbit虛假交易所假投,資提領不出 挽回損失資金 - 防禦美學 - udn部落格
The metadata explicitly connects romance with an alleged fraudulent exchange and claimed loss/debt. This templated promotional-looking blog is topically relevant, but does not verify a victim, an accusation against the named platform or any recovery promise.
Reported caseZACK到底是怎麼回事？真實經歷分享 - 地圖手冊 - udn部落格
The description explicitly explains romance-investment deception through a false successful-person persona, sustained chats and trust. General mechanism discussion in promotional-looking material; no distinct victim or actual loss verified.
Prevention & support上海警方打掉特大杀猪盘团伙 网恋"红颜"悲情剧本全靠演_新闻频道_中华网
Shanghai police disrupt romance-fraud group using invented medical, rent and business-expense requests.
Reported caseElderly Cambs woman targeted in romance scam after meeting man on dating site
Police warn after elderly Cambridgeshire woman targeted via dating website.
Reported case小心Midjourney 假平台血本無歸現在揭露全過程 - 偵察週報 - udn部落格
The promotional-looking description explicitly describes perfect romance becoming a financial trap and loneliness as context. General discussion, not an independently verified victim or platform accusation.
Commentaryロマンス詐欺で計630万円被害／むつ署発表｜青森県｜青森ニュース｜Web東奥
Aomori resident reports cash and cryptocurrency loss after dating-app relationship and foreign-exchange investment inducement.
Reported case【受影響用戶必看】 Ze Ocean提領異常應對指南 - 測謊中心 - udn部落格
The metadata explicitly connects romance with an alleged fraudulent exchange and claimed loss/debt. This templated promotional-looking blog is topically relevant, but does not verify a victim, an accusation against the named platform or any recovery promise.
Reported case愛情騙子現形！警要求視訊對方秒掛電話 老翁驚覺遭詐 | 蕃新聞
Police video-call verification exposes romance scam to 73-year-old man; no realized loss stated. Metadata establishes police help exposing deception, not a confirmed interrupted payment.
Reported case单身男性被犯罪团伙盯上遭网恋诈骗 50人落网_新闻频道_中华网
Fifty arrests reported in romance-fraud case using repeated invented medical, rent and business expenses. Do not infer actor identity solely from similarities.
Reported caseLímites penales y civiles de la estafa amorosa en Colombia
Legal commentary explicitly concerns romance fraud in Colombia; general restitution discussion is not a documented return of property.
Commentary警告「MMR」已經被警政署多次通報為陷阱平台請遠離 - 真實紀錄 - udn部落格
Description links wedding plans and a vanished partner to a digital pig-butchering investment narrative; no verified loss or precise victim location.
Commentary親歷者分享｜我在Bitharvest的實際遭遇 - 清石日誌 - udn部落格
The description explicitly explains romance-investment deception through a false successful-person persona, sustained chats and trust. General mechanism discussion in promotional-looking material; no distinct victim or actual loss verified.
Prevention & support⚠️偽プラットフォーム「HTMKT」の違法な利益獲得方法を暴露 - 黒幕ファイル - udn部落格
The promotional-looking account explicitly connects being blinded by love to an alleged investment-exchange loss and despair about police. These are attributed claims, not verified events; no concrete police misconduct is established.
Reported case揭秘財富e通禁止提領真相與自救方式 - 風險天平 - udn部落格
The metadata explicitly connects romance with an alleged fraudulent exchange and claimed loss/debt. This templated promotional-looking blog is topically relevant, but does not verify a victim, an accusation against the named platform or any recovery promise.
Reported caseStudy finds bots 2.5x more effective scammers than humans
Reported experimental study compared scam persuasion and app installation, not measured real-world victim incidence.
Commentary警惕大家我在DVE平台血 淚經驗公開 - 南針筆記 - udn部落格
The metadata explicitly connects romance with an alleged fraudulent exchange and claimed loss/debt. This templated promotional-looking blog is topically relevant, but does not verify a victim, an accusation against the named platform or any recovery promise.
Reported case