Interpol’s Wordplay: From ‘Pig Butchering’ to ‘Romance Baiting’ – Can Rebranding Catch a Scam?
Interpol renames “pig butchering” scams to “romance baiting,” trading pork chops for fishing lures. The international police agency aims to spare victims’ feelings, hoping to reel in more reports with a kinder, gentler metaphor. Because nothing says “we care” like swapping barnyard imagery for a day at the lake.
Hot Take:
Interpol’s decision to swap out “pig butchering” for “romance baiting” is like putting a band-aid on a broken heart. Sure, it might sound a bit more tender, but the heartbreak (and financial ruin) remains the same. It’s like calling a “shark attack” an “unwanted aquatic nibble” – the bite still stings! This linguistic facelift might be a catchy way to update their image, but it’ll take more than a new name to soothe those who’ve been tenderized by these scammers.
Key Points:
- Interpol drops “pig butchering” in favor of “romance baiting” to encourage victim reporting.
- The original term comes from a Mandarin phrase likening victims to fattened pigs.
- Interpol revises old press releases to incorporate the new terminology.
- US agencies like the FBI still use “pig butchering.”
- Interpol’s YouTube video campaign urges media to adopt the new term.