Crypto Romance Scams and Pig Butchering

This chapter provides an overview of crypto romance scams and pig butchering. It begins by outlining the historical role of crypto romance scams, including the Spanish Prison scam and the Nigerian Prince email scam. Next, we discuss the role of African scam groups in orchestrating these crimes. Then, we analyze the anatomy of romance scams and discuss the characteristics of victims and the role of law enforcement in assisting victims in recovering. We also discuss the social stigmas surrounding romance scams that can lead to underreporting, as well as the role of dating websites, human smuggling, and sextortion in romance scams. Next, we proceed to discuss pig butchering, and case studies from Australia and Thailand involving Chinese crypto money laundering gangs.