Online Fraud

New Scam Trends from FTC Webinar: What You Need to Know Every year, National Consumer Protection Week draws attention to the latest fraud tactics affecting Americans. In March 2026, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) held a webinar highlighting current scam trends, co-hosted with ACA International, a trade group for credit professionals. The session offered a data-driven look at what kinds of fraud are rising and how consumers can protect themselves. Here is a summary of the most important points and what you can do about them. ...

How to Recognize and Avoid ‘Pig Butchering’ Scams That Target Your Savings A new wave of sophisticated online scams is draining bank accounts under a disturbing name: “Pig Butchering.” Recently, the New York State Attorney General’s office issued a formal consumer alert warning residents about this specific fraud, which has led to devastating financial losses. Unlike a quick phishing attempt, this scam is a long con, meticulously designed to fatten up victims with false trust before slaughtering their savings. Understanding how it works is your first and best defense. ...

How to Spot and Stop a “Pig Butchering” Scam You get a message out of the blue. It might be on a dating app, social media, or even a wrong-number text. The person is friendly, charming, and over weeks or months, they build a genuine-seeming connection. Then, they tell you about a fantastic, can’t-miss investment opportunity. This slow-burn deception has a name: the “Pig Butchering” scam. It’s a brutal metaphor, where the victim is the “pig” fattened with trust before being financially “butchered.” ...

Don’t Get Fleeced: How to Recognize and Stop “Pig Butchering” Scams You meet someone new online. The conversation is engaging, the connection feels genuine, and over weeks or months, a bond of trust develops. Then, they mention a lucrative, low-risk investment opportunity they’ve used to build wealth. Eager to share their good fortune, they encourage you to join in. This is not a modern fairy tale; it’s the opening act of a devastating financial fraud known as a “pig butchering” scam. Following a recent consumer alert from the New York State Attorney General’s office, understanding this threat is more critical than ever. ...

What Are “Pig Butchering” Scams, and How Can You Avoid Them? You receive a friendly, seemingly accidental message on a social platform or dating app. The person on the other end is charming, builds rapport over weeks, and gradually steers the conversation toward a “can’t-miss” investment opportunity. This is not the start of a romantic or financial success story. It is the opening act of a sophisticated financial scam known as “pig butchering.” ...

The “Pig Butchering” Scam: How Fraudsters Fatten Victims Before the Slaughter You receive a friendly, unexpected message. It might be on a dating app, social media, or even via a seemingly wrong-number text. The person on the other end is charming, builds rapport over weeks, and eventually shares a secret: they’ve made incredible profits through an online investment platform. They offer to help you do the same. This is the opening act of a “pig butchering” scam—a ruthless long-con where victims are emotionally “fattened up” with trust before their finances are slaughtered. ...

How to Recognize and Stop a “Pig Butchering” Scam Before You Lose Money You meet someone new online. The conversation starts casually, but they’re engaging, attentive, and seem genuinely interested in you. Over weeks or even months, a bond forms. Then, one day, they mention a fantastic investment opportunity—a way to build a future together. If this story sounds familiar, you might be facing one of the most insidious online frauds today: the “Pig Butchering” scam. ...

The “Pig Butchering” Scam: A Disturbing New Twist on Financial Fraud You receive a friendly, seemingly accidental message on social media, WhatsApp, or a dating app. The person on the other end is charming, engaging, and over weeks or months, builds a genuine-seeming connection. They talk about life, family, and eventually, a fantastic investment opportunity that has made them significant wealth. They want to help you do the same. ...

A Guide to “Pig Butchering” Scams: How Fraudsters Use Trust to Steal Money In an era where digital connections are commonplace, a particularly insidious form of fraud has proliferated, earning the grim nickname of “pig butchering.” Recently, the New York State Attorney General’s office issued a consumer alert warning residents about these schemes. While the warning is geographically specific, the scam is a global threat that targets anyone with an online presence. Understanding how it works is your first line of defense. ...

Don’t Get Fleeced: How to Spot the “Pig Butchering” Scam In a recent official alert, New York Attorney General Letitia James warned residents about a particularly insidious type of financial fraud known as “pig butchering.” The name is as crude as the scam itself, derived from the process of fattening a pig before slaughter. In this context, you are the pig. Scammers invest significant time in building trust and fattening your hopes of wealth, only to steal your life savings when you’re most vulnerable. Understanding how this scam operates is your first and best defense. ...