Pig Butchering By Linda Stowe
I have changed my story tonight because I just came across something new and alarming. It’s an internet scam called “pig butchering.” Not an appealing image, I know, but it describes the concept of luring someone in and fattening them up for the kill. It starts with an innocent text that seems to be sent to the wrong person. “Is this John from the pet store?” “Pat, what time is our flight?” Innocent harmless texts that most people will respond to with courtesy. The scammer responds back with “Oh, I’m so sorry. I was just asking about…” Whatever it takes to keep the conversation going. Usually, the scammer has done their homework, so they know who you are. They say they’re from the same hometown or have a common interest. Whatever you have shared on social media is ripe for picking due to the magic of the Internet.
Of course, the end goal is to divest you of your money, and this scam is so successful it is estimated that people lose billions every year. But those aren’t the only victims. Often the people who are sending the texts are being held captive and forced to work 16-hour days posing as lonely housewives or handsome bachelors. They are given manuals that tell them how to draw in and manipulate their marks. If you want to hear more, Google pig butchering or watch the latest episode of This Week Tonight with John Oliver.
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Polly here.
Another scam. That’s the thing that hit me about all of this. And from what Linda mentioned in her comments afterward (this was a Wordle Word piece, as all of Linda’s writings are here), this particular scam isn’t hitting some old, frail person sitting in some nursing home. No, one of the people taken down by this was “a bank CEO who ended up bankrupting the bank because he got lured into a cryptocurrency scheme.”
Regardless. Scams.
One person cheating another. One person, or people, stealing from others.
This upends me. I don’t understand this malicious behavior. Even when I was poor, I took on more jobs to make money instead of holding up banks or purse snatching.
I understand that times are hard. I know some people steal out of necessity. However, most of them are committing crimes without reason. And this is wrong to the core. Our world is so complicated and large. And sometimes, a lot of times, I can’t make any sense of it.
So, instead, I keep putting one foot in front of the other.
As we all do.
I’m thankful that there are so many people who are trying to do their best in this world. And for this world.
Pig Butchering By Linda Stowe
