Pig butchering
Pig butchering is a long-con investment scam in which the fraudster builds a relationship with the victim, then steers them to a fake trading or investment platform that shows invented profits.
How it works
Contact starts through a dating app, wrong-number message or social network. Weeks later the victim is introduced to a platform, makes small deposits and sees growing balances.
Withdrawals are blocked by invented taxes or fees until the victim stops paying; the platform domains are rotated often.
Example from the PhishDestroy database
- axonix-core365.click: Fake investment or exchange platform domain, first detected 2026-10-22.
- avvio-finevox-soft.com: Fake investment or exchange platform domain, first detected 2026-10-22.
- axel-fundevoplatform.com: Fake investment or exchange platform domain, first detected 2026-10-22.
How to protect yourself
- Be suspicious of online contacts who bring up investing; check the platform's licence with the regulator.
- Never pay a fee to withdraw your own money.