The Intersection of Romance Fraud and Human Trafficking
Of the various fraud scheme names that have been coined over the years, “Pig Butchering” is one that provokes the most visceral response based on the name alone. And yet, the actual act of Pig Butchering is even more horrible than the name suggests. It is the latest variation of an ago-old type of crime under the umbrella of “Romance Schemes”. People who prey on the lonely and elderly pretending to be a potential romantic partner with the express purpose of defrauding them. One recent study by the University of Texas put the global losses from Pig Butchering Schemes at $75 billion in just 4 year’s time. What is it that has made this scheme so much more harmful than other romance schemes? What can law enforcement do to root out and hold bad actors accountable and how can individuals avoid becoming the latest pig to be butchered? These and other scams aren’t the work of individual scammers. They are highly organized operations orchestrated by transnational organized crime groups.
On a recent episode of the #FraudEatsStrategy podcast, Erin West joined us to raise our awareness of one of the fastest growing fraud schemes in the world, Pig Butchering, how to recognize if you are being targeted and what governments and private sector organizations can do to stop it. Erin is a former career prosecutor from Santa Clara County, California and the founder of Operation Shamrock, who’s mission is to raise awareness of pig butchering, educate the public, mobilize collective action, and disrupt the operations networks of transnational organized criminals to prevent further harm. To listen to the episode and learn about how to fight against the global scourge that is Pig Butchering, listen here.
