Interpol Wants Everyone to Stop Saying ‘Pig Butchering’

There’s an online scam where the scammer manipulates victims into losing a whole lot of money under the guise of an investment opportunity or a romantic relationship. One of the most common names for this particular type of scam is “pig butchering.” The “pig” refers to the victim of the scam. Think of a pig being fattened up for slaughter.

Interpol, the intergovernmental crime-fighting organization headquartered in France, wants to change that name. Because they found that people aren’t reporting these scams as often as they should be because victims don’t like to be referred to as “pigs.” That’s somewhat understandable.

Interpol Urges World to Drop ‘Pig Butchering’

So much of the world is driven by branding. That’s why Interpol is urging governments and organizations to adopt more precise and neutral language when it comes to describing these scams. They would prefer terms like “investment scam” or “romance baiting” as opposed to a term that associates the victim with a farm animal that in itself carries all sorts of stigmas. Even though pigs are highly intelligent, and by all accounts, make wonderful pets… if you don’t intend on eating them (and they’re delicious if you do eat them).

Interpol released a statement saying, “The term ‘pig butchering’ dehumanizes and shames victims of such frauds, deterring people from coming forward to seek help and provide information to the authorities.” The term “pig butchering” first started cropping up in China around 2016 to describe similar investment/romance scams involving cryptocurrency theft.

In their statement, Interpol says that a term like “romance baiting” inherently acknowledges the sophisticated tactics and emotional manipulation employed by fraudsters to build trust that is inevitably shattered. People prefer these kinds of neutral terms that describe the act of the criminal rather than the susceptibility of the victim. The elimination of the term is a part of Interpol’s Think Twice campaign, which is all about raising awareness about online safety.