CHESAPEAKE, Mr. (WAVY) – FBI Norfolk is putting out a warning about a scam called “pig hunting.”
It involves criminals first building trust with the victim and using that trust to clean out bank accounts.
“[The] the victim, usually through an unsolicited text message, email, maybe on a social media site, what have you, a dating app, and creating a relationship with the abuser,” FBI Special Agent Shanon Newcomb said.
Newcomb explained that it is only the first step. While the scammers work to create a bond over time, they then begin to pressure the victim to invest in cryptocurrency.
He said this step is called “greasing the pig,” where the deceiver is using empathy and trust to advance their efforts.
“He’s a scammer who gives out articles about this great cryptocurrency investment and how this can help you, and the person is like, ‘Okay, okay, let me invest this money,'” Newcomb said.
The next and final step is to “cut the meat.” This is when the scammer ends up tricking the victim into investing more money in counterfeit money, often wiping their assets.
Newcomb explained that, it is not only a problem in the whole country, but it is also happening in the Commonwealth.
“We’re number nine in the number of complaints in Virginia,” Newcomb said. “And there are 1,734 complaints. And unfortunately, we are the number 10 loser, and about 122 million.
Newcomb added the defense’s best strength is that people make themselves tough goals.
“Clear contact,” Newcomb said. “Stop talking to them and give yourself time to breathe, think and analyze the situation. Does this sound good? Does this sound like a legitimate thing? Why am I investing in cryptocurrency if I don’t know what cryptocurrency is or how it works. “
You can find more information and resources related to prevention it’s a scam here.
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