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"Jason, you are really out of line. I'm Fiona. Amy told me everything!" At 10 a.m. on a Sunday, Frank Newton (a pseudonym), a software engineer at a Silicon Valley tech company, received this text message.

He thought it must have been sent to the wrong number, so he politely replied, informing the sender of the mistake.

The sender then apologized and explained that she had just discovered her boyfriend had cheated on her and blocked her number. A friend had given her this new number, which she believed was his. Her tone was sincere and pitiful.

Facing this heartbroken stranger, Frank offered a few words of comfort out of kindness. Unexpectedly, the girl began treating him like a confidant, and the conversation continued. Under her active approach, the two chatted about relationships, work, and more over the next few days, becoming seemingly close online friends.

It wasn't until two weeks later, when Fiona mentioned she had recently made $200,000 from an investment and invited Frank to join, that he suddenly realized he might have encountered the widely known "Pig-Butchering" scam.

These "wrong number" texts are just one of many tactics. Many people are misled by these schemes, unknowingly losing large sums of money. Surprisingly, even Silicon Valley, a hub for high-tech talent, has become a hotspot for such scams.

Many people have received strange messages from unknown numbers with various "wrong number" stories.

Some will fabricate background stories to build rapport or elicit sympathy. Examples include: "How have you been? It's been a while since the charity dinner," "Your meatballs last time were delicious - could you share the recipe?" "How much did you pay for that house you bought last time?" or "Doctor, our dog is suddenly vomiting and can't walk - can you schedule an appointment?"

Some create successful personas, sharing new work contacts or inviting you to golf courses to discuss collaborations, creating the illusion of a serendipitous connection with an important figure.

These messages all aim to lure you into responding, then gradually ensnare you. Currently, this type of scam occurs across most messaging and social apps. While their approaches differ, they follow similar patterns:

First, they'll address you by a random name to make you think they've contacted the wrong person. After you reply, they'll play the "nice person" card to build rapport while introducing themselves and asking about your location and occupation. Once they gain some trust, they'll recommend investments they're involved with - perhaps an obscure wealth management company, some cryptocurrency, or precious metals futures. They often claim to have a mysterious, successful uncle or aunt providing accurate trading tips.

Initially, they won't pressure you to invest large sums. Most investments are short-term and small, but with unusually high returns and nearly 100% accuracy, as they typically have a mysterious, successful relative providing insider information. They often claim to donate most investment returns to charity, building trust while encouraging you to increase investments until they suddenly disappear with accumulated funds.

Some use simpler, more direct approaches that test human nature, like sending account passwords and balances directly in messages with warnings like "Don't tell anyone," tricking you into clicking phishing links.

Recently, such cases have become increasingly rampant in the U.S. According to a recent survey by cybersecurity firm Sift, in San Francisco, dating app users encounter one scammer for every 20 people they meet. Posts seeking help about being "pig-butchered" are multiplying.

Only after numerous exposures of such scams have people begun learning this new term: "Pig-butchering."

Many have even learned how to effectively counter scammers.

LinkedIn Becomes New "Pig-Butchering" Battleground, Scammers Target Tech Employees

Beyond mass texting scams via messaging apps, today's scammers have developed customized approaches targeting working professionals.

Among recently exposed cases, many victims are employees at major Silicon Valley tech companies. Their scam encounters often begin not on typical messaging apps, but on the more professional, higher-threshold platform LinkedIn.

SF Examiner recently reported on two Silicon Valley employees who lost over $1 million to "pig-butchering" scams. Both were initially contacted on LinkedIn before moving to WhatsApp, where scammers spent months building trust before guiding them to invest in seemingly legitimate cryptocurrency websites, ultimately leaving them with nothing.

"I never thought this would happen to me because I'm a software engineer myself - I thought I could evaluate website reliability," said one victim, "R." He explained trusting the scammer because their LinkedIn showed they'd attended the same university and they discussed college experiences in chats.

"The scammers made everything feel so authentic, leading you step-by-step into their trap."

These cases aren't rare exceptions. CNBC recently attended an online meeting of LinkedIn scam victims, with losses ranging from $200,000 to $1.6 million. On Reddit, many users report similar "pig-butchering" experiences originating on LinkedIn.

Scammers pose as airline pilots for major companies, wealthy socialites, recruiters, or tech executives. Their LinkedIn profiles share common traits: stolen attractive profile photos, impressive resumes typically featuring Ivy League degrees and mid-to-senior positions at major corporations.

They target victims strategically, focusing on those with similar professional or educational backgrounds to their personas, particularly people whose profiles indicate job-seeking or networking intentions.

Investigations suggest LinkedIn "pig-butchering" scams became notably active starting this year.

“I check job postings on LinkedIn every day. About six months ago, I started receiving friend requests more frequently, mostly from people who claimed to work at investment firms or tech companies and had impressive titles. After chatting for a bit, they would ask me to move the conversation to WhatsApp or Telegram,” said Alex, an engineer from Silicon Valley. “Their profiles immediately seemed suspicious to me—at first it was only once or twice a week, but now it’s almost every day.”

"Previously these scams were on Facebook or Instagram. LinkedIn seemed more credible as a professional platform, but recently scammers have targeted it too," added Ken, another Silicon Valley Chinese engineer.

Both noted that while they recognize scams quickly, young professionals building networks or newcomers unfamiliar with such scams can easily fall victim.

Victim analyses suggest targeting tech employees follows strategic logic:

First, tech professionals are more active in online networking, especially with remote work increasing digital socialization. Additionally, engineers tend to overconfidence in their technical judgment - if they don't spot initial red flags, they may invest more heavily than average. Finally, they're typically more interested in cryptocurrency and investments, both willing and able to commit more funds to profit experiments.

Professional Scammers Targeting International Markets

That scammers systematically target Silicon Valley engineers shows "pig-butchering" has evolved from amateur schemes to organized, professional operations. Beyond LinkedIn, scammers appear on TikTok, Snapchat, Twitter, and dating apps like Tinder, Bumble, Match, and Zoosk.

The escalating "pig-butchering" scam wave has drawn attention from U.S. authorities. Law enforcement in San Francisco, New York, and elsewhere has launched investigations into scam networks. This serves as a reminder to remain vigilant and carefully scrutinize messages from strangers on any social platform.