Dutch Police Intercept Global ‘Pig Butchering’ Scam Involved in Stealing $162M from Victims
Rotterdam’s police have played a crucial role in dismantling an extensive “pig butchering” scam, a fraud operation preying on victims via dating and social media platforms before siphoning off their savings.
The international crackdown, termed Operation Spincaster, has exposed 186 victims in the Netherlands alone, with additional targets identified in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, and Spain, according to DutchNews.
Per the report, law enforcement agencies teamed up with Chainalysis, a blockchain data analytics firm, and 17 cryptocurrency exchanges to amass evidence, freeze accounts, confiscate assets, and trace over $162 million (€149 million) swindled by the fraudsters.
Among the thwarted cases was a Dutch investor who was on the brink of losing €65,000 from his cryptocurrency account, as reported by the Telegraaf.
The “pig butchering” scam, also referred to as approval phishing, involves convincing victims to authorize the transfer of substantial funds, purportedly for cryptocurrency investments.
Originating in China, this scam proliferated globally during the COVID-19 pandemic, with criminal syndicates employing human trafficking victims in call centers to execute the fraud, according to investigative website ProPublica.
Fraudsters typically engage with their targets on social media or dating sites, cultivating a relationship of trust over several months before introducing an investment scheme.
They entice victims to transfer a small sum, such as €500, into a cryptocurrency account, then return a larger amount to showcase potential profits.
However, during the initial transfer, victims are asked to sign an “approval document” that permits the fraudsters to withdraw funds from their crypto accounts, ultimately draining their
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