The defining red flag: withdrawal "fees" or "taxes" — being asked to pay money to unlock your own money is the single most reliable sign of pig butchering. In 2026, criminal syndicates increasingly use AI to automate the grooming phase, maintaining thousands of personalized relationships at once.
How the scam works
Step 1
The first contact
A wrong-number text, dating-app match, or friendly message opens the conversation.
Step 2
The grooming phase
Over weeks or months, the scammer builds trust — romance, friendship, shared interests — sometimes using AI-generated voice notes or video calls.
Step 3
The fake platform
The conversation shifts toward a crypto investment opportunity, directing you to a fraudulent trading platform showing fabricated gains.
Step 4
The withdrawal trap
When you try to withdraw, the app locks up demanding additional "fees" — then the contact goes dark and the funds are gone.
How to spot it
- A relationship that evolves into a crypto investment pitch, even after months of normal conversation.
- Gains that look too good on a platform you've never heard of.
- Any request to pay a fee to unlock a withdrawal — the defining red flag.
What to do
- Never invest on a platform suggested by someone you've only met online.
- Refuse any payment framed as necessary to unlock a withdrawal.
- Verify any investment platform's registration with the SEC or CFTC before depositing money.
- If you've already invested, stop sending money immediately and file a report.
Egidio: your automatic phishing detector
This scam often starts with a simple, harmless-looking text. Egidio flags these early signals before the relationship takes hold.
Egidio scans links and messages in real time, alerting you to known scam patterns.
Install Egidio