Meta Cracks Down on ‘Pig-Butchering’ Scams, Removing 2 Million Accounts
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced Thursday that it has removed over 2 million accounts tied to “pig-butchering” scams, a growing form of investment fraud that preys on victims through prolonged manipulation and deception, the Hill reports.
Pig-butchering scams involve fraudsters building trust with their victims—often posing as romantic partners, friendly acquaintances, or legitimate representatives of businesses or governments. Over time, the scammers manipulate victims into investing in fraudulent schemes, frequently involving cryptocurrency. Victims often lose substantial amounts of money, leaving many financially devastated.
“Every day, criminals target people across the world through text messaging, dating apps, social media, and email in so-called ‘pig-butchering’ and other schemes that try to con them into scam investments,” Meta stated in a press release.
Meta said it is “continuously investigating” the criminal organizations behind these scams, many of which operate from scam compounds. These centers, often located in Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, the Philippines, and the UAE, exploit job seekers by luring them with fake job offers and coercing them—sometimes through physical threats—into working as online scammers. Estimates from the US Institute of Peace suggest as many as 300,000 individuals may be forced into these roles.
To disrupt these schemes, Meta works with law enforcement agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) across the U.S. and Southeast Asia. When Meta identifies a criminal group involved in these scams, it designates them as Dangerous Organizations or Individuals (DOIs), banning them from its platforms and deploying enforcement tools to prevent their reentry.
The company also monitors DOI-linked groups for attempts to evade enforcement, such as creating new accounts or compounds, and takes proactive measures to disrupt their activities.
Meta’s efforts to combat pig-butchering scams include collaborating with other technology companies to share intelligence about criminal syndicates. In one case, OpenAI provided Meta with information about a scam operation in Cambodia, enabling Meta to disrupt the malicious activity on its platforms.
As of the end of 2023, pig-butchering scams have resulted in an estimated $64 billion in stolen funds, according to the US Institute of Peace. These scams have proliferated during the COVID-19 pandemic, taking advantage of the increased reliance on online communication and digital investments.
