INTERPOL’s Romance Baiting: The Love Scam Rebranding That’s Breaking Hearts and Wallets
INTERPOL wants to swap “pig butchering” for “romance baiting” to describe scams that sweet-talk victims into fake crypto investments. The switch aims to focus on the perpetrators, not shame the victims. After all, getting conned is bad enough without being compared to livestock. Words matter, even when you’re swindled.
Hot Take:
Move over, language police—INTERPOL is here to clean up the cybercrime dictionary! Who knew that a little word makeover could transform a “pig butchering” into a “romance baiting”? It’s like giving a catfish a makeover, except it’s the scam that gets a glam-up, while the victims get a little more dignity. Next thing you know, we’ll be calling hackers “digital ninjas” and ransomware attacks “unwanted pop quizzes.” But hey, if it helps people feel better about getting scammed by the online Don Juans of the crypto world, then let’s throw away the butcher knife and whip out the love bait!
Key Points:
- INTERPOL wants to replace “pig butchering” with “romance baiting” for crypto scams.
- The original term originates from a Chinese phrase and implies victim shaming.
- Scams involve fraudsters who use social media and dating apps to dupe victims.
- These scams are linked to Southeast Asian crime groups and forced labor.
- Google is already tracking these scams as “international online consumer investment fraud schemes”.