A woman from San Jose, California
Scammed out of nearly 1 million dollars by a 'romance + cryptocurrency' scheme.
Even more outrageous is:
She only realized she was a victim of a pig slaughtering scheme after asking ChatGPT.
Not the FBI
Not a bank
Not a friend
Not the police
It was ChatGPT's one sentence that pulled her back from the abyss:
‘This fits the common pattern of cryptocurrency scams you described; please report it to the police immediately.’
Brothers, why is this story important?
Because it is not a scam news.
It unveils a cold but cruel truth:
**The ups and downs of the cryptocurrency market won't ruin people, but human weaknesses will.
Pig-butchering is not a blockchain issue, it's a human heart issue.**
1. How does the scam happen step by step? The tricks are as precise as a script
**① Facebook unlock:
The scammer 'Ed' appeared, disguised as a wealthy businessman, proactively establishing contact**
Pig-butchering has never been about "deception",
Is 'companionship and understanding'.
Scammers are not selling projects,
Is to first sell 'yourself':
Gentleness
Smart
Mature
Career success
Emotional investment
Psychological resonance
Step by step breaking through the defenses of the lonely.
**② After gaining trust:
Scammers slowly guide crypto investments**
He didn't directly say "invest in me".
He will say:
"I also invested myself"
"This is not a scam, I am helping you succeed together"
"You deserve a better life"
"This is our shared future"
Do you understand?
This is emotional manipulation dressed as investment.
③ The woman invested 490,000 retirement funds → then mortgaged the house for 300,000
This is not greed,
This is psychology.
The most terrifying point of the pig-butchering scam is not 'scamming money',
But rather:
Make the victim think they are making a 'correct choice'.
She thought it was "love + future + wealth leap".
In the end, the truth is:
She was raised as a 'pig' for half a year.
④ Account suddenly frozen → Scammer demands $1 million to unfreeze
This scene is the same for all pig-butchering scams:
Fake profits
Fake backend
Fake customer service
Fake audit
Fake freeze
Fake fines
Fake procedures
The last step is always:
"If you supplement some money, I will help you take everything out."
As long as the victim makes the last cut,
The scammer just disappears.
⑤ She asked ChatGPT and realized "it's all a trap"
This step is crucial.
Why didn't she notice?
Because pig-butchering is not an IQ scam,
Is an emotional scam.
Victims are not foolish,
Is 'being led around'.
The reason ChatGPT identifies in a second,
It's because it doesn't carry emotions, only looks at structure:
Emotional dependency
Investment guidance
Fake profits
Fake freeze
Need to remit further
ChatGPT said directly:
This is a known scam pattern, please report it.
This is a hedge between calmness and emotions.
2. Why must you pay attention to this story? Because crypto pig-butchering is spreading globally
There are three typical modes of pig-butchering scams:
① Romantic scams (the most lethal)
Establish trust through "love"
→ Guiding investment
→ Trapped
→ Squeeze dry
Abroad, it’s called Pig-Butchering
In the country, it's called pig-butchering
The essence is:
Harvesting after deep emotional binding.
② Online friends' 'leading' scams
WeChat Moments screenshot
Fake profits
Fake influencer
Fake mentors
In the end, it's all:
You lose money, they make money.
③ Fake trading platform APP
Fake recharge
Fake assets
Fake backend
Fake withdrawal failure
Fake customer service asking for 'handling fees'
The moment you transfer in,
Money will never come back.
3. Why will this case appear in 2025? Because the bull market is coming
The bull market rises more and more,
The more scams there are.
Not because of market issues,
It's because scammers know this is the best time to harvest "dreamers".
You must have heard:
"You don't understand, I'll help you earn"
"Opportunities only come once"
"This cannot be told to others"
"Look, my account has already earned so much"
These words are not fate,
Is a trick.
4. This story has three warnings for our crypto circle
**① Investment is not about love,
"The one who takes you to earn money" often just wants to profit from you.**
People who truly make big money won't pull you into the game.
② Any platform that asks you to 'transfer money again to withdraw' is a scam.
Blockchain doesn't have this mechanism.
No.
Never.
③ The most dangerous people are not strangers, but those who "understand you too well".
The essence of the pig-butchering scam is:
Scammers spend months understanding your weaknesses.
This is not fraud,
This is a psychological siege.
5. My conclusion:
Brothers,
Cryptocurrency is not a scam, but scams are using cryptocurrency.
What truly destroys people is not the loss, but:
Loneliness
Uncontrollable emotions
The illusion of being understood
"As long as I invest a little more, I can turn things around" obsession
And scammers are taking advantage of these.
If you see someone around you being bound by 'love + investment',
Must remind him:
**Love does not require you to invest money,
Investment does not require you to date.**
In the end, it was not a man who saved this woman,
It's logic.$BTC
