SPEAKER_00
0:00
Hey
everyone.
Welcome
to
Great
Day
Radio's
The
Digital
Danger
Zone.
I'm
DJ
Mikey
D
coming
to
you
with
a
heavy
topic
today,
but
one
we
all
need
to
hear.
We're
talking
about
one
of
the
most
insidious,
cruel,
and
financially
devastating
scams
operating
online
right
now.
It's
got
a
name
that
tells
you
everything
you
need
to
know
about
its
brutality,
pig
butchering.
The
name
alone
is
horrifying,
right?
It
comes
from
the
scammer's
own
lingo.
The
victim
is
the
pig.
The
scammer
spends
weeks,
sometimes
months
fattening
them
up
with
fake
affection,
building
trust,
feeding
them
lies,
and
then
when
the
time
is
right,
they
butcher
them.
They
take
everything.
Life
savings,
retirement
funds,
second
mortgages,
they
leave
financial
and
emotional
ruin
in
their
wake,
and
they're
targeting
some
of
the
most
vulnerable
people
among
us.
SPEAKER_00
0:44
Here's
how
it
works.
It
almost
always
starts
on
social
media
or
a
dating
app.
A
friendly,
attractive,
seemingly
successful
person
sends
you
a
message.
Maybe
they
accidentally
message
the
wrong
number.
It
seems
harmless.
They
start
chatting.
They're
attentive.
They
ask
about
your
day,
your
life,
they
share
photos,
stolen
photos,
of
course,
they
build
what
feels
like
a
real
romantic
connection.
This
is
the
fattening
phase.
Daily
communications,
sweet
nothings,
a
digital
relationship
blooming
in
your
DMs.
Then
once
that
trust
is
solid,
the
pivot.
They'll
mention
almost
casually
how
they've
been
making
amazing
returns
on
a
cryptocurrency
or
four
X
trading
platform.
They
have
an
in,
a
secret
opportunity.
They'll
show
you
screenshots
of
their
massive
fake
profits.
Look
how
much
I
made
for
us,
they'll
say.
I
want
you
to
be
part
of
this.
They'll
guide
you
to
a
website
that
looks
incredibly
professional
but
is
entirely
fake.
You
put
in
a
small
amount,
the
dashboard
shows
it
doubling,
tripling,
it's
exhilarating.
SPEAKER_00
1:44
I
want
to
tell
you
about
Margaret,
as
paraphrased
from
San
Francisco
Bay
Area,
CBS
seven
news.
She's
an
elderly
widow,
she
was
lonely.
She
met
a
man
named
Ed
on
Facebook.
He
was
kind,
he
listened.
They
moved
their
chats
to
WhatsApp.
SPEAKER_00
1:57
For
months,
Ed
was
her
daily
companion.
Then
he
told
her
about
his
crypto
platform.
She
invested,
she
saw
her
balance
a
completely
fabricated
number
skyrocket
to
over
two
million
dollars.
Encouraged
by
Ed,
she
wired
more,
and
more.
She
took
out
a
second
mortgage
on
her
home.
In
total,
she
sent
nearly
one
million
dollars
of
her
life
savings
to
a
bank
in
Malaysia.
When
she
finally
wanted
to
cash
out
her
fake
two
point
four
million
dollars,
the
account
was
frozen.
She
was
told
she
needed
to
pay
a
massive
tax
fee
to
release
the
funds.
When
she
hesitated,
the
threat
started,
the
kind,
patient
Ed
vanished,
replaced
by
a
menacing
fraudster.
The
facade
crumbled,
but
the
money
was
already
gone,
swirling
in
the
untraceable
vortex
of
cryptocurrency
transfers
and
overseas
accounts.
SPEAKER_00
2:41
And
here's
a
modern
twist
to
this
nightmare.
Margaret
in
her
confusion
and
fear
did
something
many
of
us
might
do.
She
asked
ChatGPT,
she
described
the
situation
to
the
AI.
And
ChatGPT
clearly
and
calmly
outlined
the
hallmarks
of
the
pig
butchering
scam.
It
was
the
AI
that
helped
connect
the
dots
for
her,
that
gave
a
name
to
the
horror
she
was
experiencing.
Think
about
that.
The
technology
used
to
build
sophisticated
fake
platforms
is
being
countered
by
another
technology
helping
victims
see
the
truth.
It's
a
wild,
sad
state
of
affairs.
SPEAKER_00
3:13
These
scammers
are
predators,
they
profile
for
vulnerability.
Recent
divorce,
loss
of
a
spouse,
loneliness,
they
have
sophisticated
scripts,
teams
of
people
working
in
call
centers,
flawless
fake
websites.
They
exploit
two
fundamental
human
needs,
the
desire
for
connection
and
the
desire
for
financial
security.
They
weaponize
emotion
and
confidence,
and
shame
shame
is
their
final
weapon.
It
keeps
victims
from
telling
their
families
from
going
to
the
authorities
they
feel
foolish,
heartbroken,
and
broke.
SPEAKER_00
3:43
So
what
are
the
red
flags?
What
do
you
need
to
watch
for?
Number
one,
rapid
online
intimacy.
If
it
feels
too
good
to
be
true,
it
almost
certainly
is.
Number
two,
pressure
to
move
off
a
dating
app
or
social
platform
to
a
private
messenger
like
WhatsApp
or
Telegram.
That's
where
the
evidence
disappears.
Number
three,
any
mention
of
a
can't
miss
investment
opportunity,
especially
in
crypto
with
promises
of
huge
guaranteed
returns.
And
number
four,
any
request
for
payment
via
wire
transfer,
gift
cards
or
cryptocurrency.
Legitimate
investments
don't
work
that
SPEAKER_00
4:18
way.
If
you
think
you're
being
targeted,
you
need
to
act.
First,
stop
all
communication
immediately,
do
not
engage
further.
Second,
preserve
every
piece
of
evidence,
screenshots,
messages,
emails,
website
addresses.
Third,
contact
your
bank
or
financial
institution
right
away
if
you've
sent
money,
they
may
be
able
to
stop
a
transfer.
And
fourth,
report
it.
File
a
report
with
the
FBI's
Internet
Crime
Complaint
Center,
the
IC
three,
and
with
your
local
police.
You
are
not
alone
and
you
are
not
the
first.
SPEAKER_00
4:48
Protection
starts
with
skepticism.
Vet
online
contacts
carefully.
Reverse
image
search
their
photos.
Be
deeply
wary
of
anyone
who
talks
about
money
early
on.
Have
open
judgment
free
conversations
with
the
older
adults
in
your
life
about
these
risks.
Their
savings
and
their
hearts
are
on
the
line.
This
is
DJ
Mikey
D
urging
you
to
stay
safe
out
there
in
the
digital
world.
Don't
be
someone's
pig.
Thanks
SPEAKER_00
5:14
for
listening.
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please
share
the
love
to
someone
who
needs
to
hear
this
message.
Peace
out.
