Meta Removed 2 Million Accounts Linked to Organized Crime 'Pig Butching' Scams (cnet.com) 27
An anonymous reader shared this report from CNET:
Meta says it's taken down more than 2 million accounts this year linked to overseas criminal gangs behind scam operations that human rights activists say forced hundreds of thousands of people to work as scammers and cost victims worldwide billions of dollars.
In a Thursday blog post, the parent of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp says the pig butchering scam operations — based in Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, the United Arab Emirates and the Philippines — use platforms like Facebook and Instagram; dating, messaging, crypto and other kinds of apps; and texts and emails, to globally target people... [T]he scammers strike up an online relationship with their victims and gain their trust. Then they move their conversations to crypto apps or scam websites and dupe victims into making bogus investments or otherwise handing over their money, Meta said. They'll ask the victims to deposit money, often in the form of cryptocurrency, into accounts, sometimes even letting the victims make small withdrawals, in order to add a veneer of legitimacy. But once the victim starts asking for their investment back, or it becomes clear they don't have any more money to deposit, the scammer disappears and takes the money with them.
And the people doing the scamming are often victims themselves. During the COVID-19 pandemic, criminal gangs began building scam centers in Southeast Asia, luring in often unsuspecting job seekers with what looked like amazing postings on local job boards and other platforms, then forcing them to work as scammers, often under the threat of physical harm. The scope of what's become a global problem is staggering. In a report issued in May, the US Institute of Peace estimates that at least 300,000 people are being forced to work, or are otherwise suffering human rights violations, inside these scam centers. The report also estimates global financial losses stemming from the scams at $64 billion in 2023, with the number of financial victims in the millions.
Meta says it has focused on investigating and disrupting the scam operations for more than two years, working with nongovernmental organizations and other tech companies, like OpenAI, Coinbase and dating-app operator Match Group, along with law enforcement in both the US and the countries where the centers are located.
Meta titled its blog post "Cracking Down On Organized Crime Behind Scam Centers," writing "We hope that sharing our insights will help inform our industry's defenses so we can collectively help protect people from criminal scammers."
In a Thursday blog post, the parent of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp says the pig butchering scam operations — based in Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, the United Arab Emirates and the Philippines — use platforms like Facebook and Instagram; dating, messaging, crypto and other kinds of apps; and texts and emails, to globally target people... [T]he scammers strike up an online relationship with their victims and gain their trust. Then they move their conversations to crypto apps or scam websites and dupe victims into making bogus investments or otherwise handing over their money, Meta said. They'll ask the victims to deposit money, often in the form of cryptocurrency, into accounts, sometimes even letting the victims make small withdrawals, in order to add a veneer of legitimacy. But once the victim starts asking for their investment back, or it becomes clear they don't have any more money to deposit, the scammer disappears and takes the money with them.
And the people doing the scamming are often victims themselves. During the COVID-19 pandemic, criminal gangs began building scam centers in Southeast Asia, luring in often unsuspecting job seekers with what looked like amazing postings on local job boards and other platforms, then forcing them to work as scammers, often under the threat of physical harm. The scope of what's become a global problem is staggering. In a report issued in May, the US Institute of Peace estimates that at least 300,000 people are being forced to work, or are otherwise suffering human rights violations, inside these scam centers. The report also estimates global financial losses stemming from the scams at $64 billion in 2023, with the number of financial victims in the millions.
Meta says it has focused on investigating and disrupting the scam operations for more than two years, working with nongovernmental organizations and other tech companies, like OpenAI, Coinbase and dating-app operator Match Group, along with law enforcement in both the US and the countries where the centers are located.
Meta titled its blog post "Cracking Down On Organized Crime Behind Scam Centers," writing "We hope that sharing our insights will help inform our industry's defenses so we can collectively help protect people from criminal scammers."
I know personally of two older people who got (Score:5, Informative)
fucked by these scams. One is an older retired guy who thought a 30 yo blonde chick in TX (not where we live or even close) wanted to fuck him and they kept trying to get him to send money for various things and then making up excuses (such as plane tickets to visit oh last minute problem but he already sent the money).
His kids (who are are 40+) were able to track some of them and it's a group of scammers obviously, but he would not listen to them at all - pride/ego/hope take your pick.
The other is a friend's mother who is basically bankrupt now because she thought some African foreign national was her dream and she threw away all her money on his fake shit.
In both instances dementia may be a factor to varying degrees, but loneliness definitely is (both have dead or divorced spouses and live alone) and probably the biggest one.
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My father falling for a $10k scam was one of the earliest signs of Alzheimer. Judgement was impaired. At the time we were thinking "how can somebody be so gullible?", but it's a common symptom of the disease. Oddly, he had enough smarts to hide his tracks from family. (He thought he was saving a relative in a jam.)
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This was the plot in a Darknet Diaries episode. Grandchild phones up asking for help, and the victim obliges thinking they're helping the grandchild. Very sad.
This one I think:
https://darknetdiaries.com/epi... [darknetdiaries.com]
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and the victim obliges thinking they're helping the grandchild
Last moron to call here said they were being held in the next county. Great I'll drive over and bail you out. Next genius said they were in another state but didn't know the name of any grandchildren or that I don't have any. In our family, if you fuck up and land in jail expect to spend the night, you probably earned it.
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I know a widow who was lonely and found a guy online. I told her "that's awesome, just be sure you've at least met in real life and he's not asking for money before you get too invested in the relationship".
She blushed. She hadn't met him and had already 'helped him out'. When I last spoke to her she said she wouldn't send him any more money until they'd met in person.
Like the initial soliciting of money wasn't a giant red flag waving in her face... anyway, no idea if she actually walked away or if the g
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I knew a guy, basically a right wing troll on social media, who got suckered into the scam where someone from law enforcement calls you and says you must pay up right away or they will arrest you. I think this particular scam works best on conservatives for the same reason that messages attributed to military leaders, or to Republican Party leaders [sagepub.com] are more influential than those attributed to Democratic Party leaders or climate scientists.
So it will be interesting to see if these scams cause people to be a
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How dare they interfere in the free market? (Score:2, Funny)
Does no one check headlines around here? (Score:4, Funny)
Pig "butching"? Like what, making them wear leather jackets with studs? Five o'clock shadow?
Lipstick on a pig (Score:3)
Pig "butching"? Like what, making them wear leather jackets with studs? Five o'clock shadow?
Came here with the same thought, lol!
The Pig Butcher [darknetdiaries.com]
edit prior to posting: Oh, how did I fall for that typo and yet I tried to write a serious comment?
pffft! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
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Pig "butching"? Like what, making them wear leather jackets with studs? Five o'clock shadow?
EditorDavid must have had a really slow night at The Juice Bar in downtown in SFO
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"Pig butching" sounds like something the Republicans were railing against during this past election cycle.
While in the UK... (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
In the UK it sounds more like something a former Prime Minister got up to [wikipedia.org].
That would be pig buggery.
2 million in one year? (Score:3)
Closing 2 million accounts in one year is an average of ~5,479 accounts PER DAY....if that's correct then methinks the problem has gotten a bit out of hand.
It would seem that Facebook is primarily a platform for criminal behavior although I hear that it (supposedly) has other uses.
And yet... (Score:3)
...when I report an account as an obvious scam, Meta responds to me that they've investigated and found it does not violate their TOS. Not just once or twice; over and over. I think I had one success for ~50 reports. I finally gave up.
what (Score:3)
Is "Butching" a word? Does it mean making females butch? I'm firmly against pig butching, because it might mean fewer cute little piggies. So kudos to Meta.
I'm asking because English is not my native language.
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It's a typo, it's meant to be 'butchering'.
Wrong target (Score:2)
It's a shame the scammers weren't ripping Meta off directly somehow, instead of Meta's userbase.
Free speech for everyone! (Score:4, Funny)
This is censorship, and I bet it disproportionaly cancels people from cultures different from America's protestant work ethic culture.
Meta canceling those accounts is taking away their free speech rights.
Congress should step in and prevent Meta and others from censoring accounts just because doo-gooders does't like what is being said by those accounts.
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Where does the constitution or it's amendments (also part of the constitution) actually say that it ONLY applies to citizens? The courts have reached out to add that but where does it actually say this? Show me. I'd like to know.
It limits government abilities to infringe on speech which is a "unalienable right" that is part of being human; above governments. The government doesn't give you inborn rights, it only infringes or defends them. Unalienable doesn't apply to legal aliens? does that not sound odd
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(Just in case anyone in the FBI is still watching and not compromised: Yes, these indeed are the ones doing it.)