Stop Calling Online Scams ‘Pig Butchering,’ Interpol Warns

The rise of so-called pig butchering investment scams over the past few years largely caught the world unawares, capitalizing on conditions surrounding pandemic lockdowns and global economic instability to fool people into giving away their money to attackers. But as researchers and law enforcement have scrambled to raise awareness about the crisis—including scammers’ use of forced labor—any way they can, the term “pig butchering” itself has emerged as an attention-grabbing and recognizable symbol. Interpol says that, beyond its own organization, it is encouraging everyone to stop using the term and replace it with more straightforward names like “investment scams” or “romance baiting.” “‘Pig butchering’ is a phrase which would appear to have been created by the gangs to talk about their victims and how they deal with them,” Nick Court, an assistant director in Interpol’s financial crime and anti-corruption program, tells WIRED. I don’t think anyone would want to be called a victim of pig butchering.” Interpol says its web pages, previous press releases, and working materials such as factsheets will be updated to remove the terminology, with prior news announcements on its site including an explanation about the change in terminology.