Ken's Second Act
I've been trolled, texted by pig-butchering scammers posing as pretty Asian women
The internet has become fertile ground for scammers trying to cheat people out of their money.
As a single, middle-aged man, I’ve been targeted by would-be romance scammers who connect via Facebook, using images stolen from models and adult entertainers. They play dumb or become hostile whenever I’ve used reverse photo image searches to question their authenticity. Often, their Facebook accounts quickly disappear.
Over this past year, I started being trolled on Twitter (now known as X) by followers who claim to be predominantly ethnic Chinese women in their thirties. They post attractive photos of themselves outdoors or in other settings. Despite claiming to be in business, they don’t post tweets to promote any business or merchandise. Instead, they seem to be trying to get the people they follow to invest in cryptocurrency, such as bitcoins, which is largely an unregulated and potentially risky investment.
Out of curiosity, I reached out to several of them to connect with my modest number of followers on Twitter. I’ve had no romantic intentions for them because they are half my age. Some of them have raised red flags. For instance, one image search turned up five accounts on the LinkedIn networking site with different names, all working in marketing. I brought this up, and the follower stopped responding to my messages; she changed her Twitter handle but still followed me. The followers, as well as some connections on Facebook, like to move the conversations to WhatsApp or other phone apps, where the chats are encrypted. While WhatsApp offers features such as video calls, I don’t like using it because it uses a lot of juice on my battery and it’s easy to make typos.
More recently, I’ve been getting strange unsolicited text messages with the greeting “Hi” or addressing me by the wrong name. Once again, images of pretty Asian women accompany the texts. They use area codes mostly from big cities such as Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco and Dallas. Some of the messages are amusing or strange. One text shows the upper body of a woman apparently taken in a gym. Her message reads, ”Hi Ms. Simia, this is Phyllis. I was wondering when your new yoga classes start? {smile emoji} I have time to go this weekend”
I initially responded to some messages as a courtesy, but I began to see a pattern that made me suspicious. I asked one texter whether she invested in cryptocurrency. “I am investing in something, and a lot of people in the United States have passive income,” she responded.
The conversation ended when I told her I wasn’t interested, but I should not have responded in the first place. The text messages are intentionally sent to people whom the sender does not know and are a ruse. I did some research and learned the tactic is called “pig butchering,” which originated in China. The phrase alludes to the practice of fattening a hog before slaughter, Cezary Podkul reported on pig butchering this past September in ProPublica, a nonprofit investigative journalism organization. He wrote criminal syndicates target people around the world, often by forcing victims in Southeast Asia to perpetuate the schemes.
In short, he wrote the schemes involve a 10-step process that starts with creating a fake online identity, initiating contact by sending messages to people on dating or social media sites and gaining their confidence. Step 4 calls for persuading targets to open an account at an online brokerage, followed by getting them to put money into a fake account.
A Twitter follower with a Russian-sounding surname who immigrated from China three years ago told me she is involved in short-term options trading in bitcoins. She said she relies on advice from her uncle and his professional team. For a business owner with 20 employees, she spent a lot of time messaging me on WhatsApp. She shared a photo and asked me whether I recognized the man standing next to her. I didn’t. He is an executive at Binance, a cryptocurrency exchange under investigation by the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service.
Another businesswoman, who contacted me by messaging me on Twitter, promoted high-frequency trading and required a minimum investment of $5,000 for a shareholder for her cosmetics company. HFT is a trading method that uses powerful computer programs to transact a large number of orders in fractions of a second, according to Investopedia. HFT uses complex algorithms to analyze multiple markets and execute orders based on market conditions.
These women waxed confidence and showed financial know-how. They can be chummy, and even flirtatious, along with being guarded and accusatory. The Twitter follower with the Russian name teased me by calling me a “very naughty boy” but also falsely accused me of lying about my age.
The other businesswoman got guarded when I told her I could not find her company by searching the Securities and Exchange Commission website. “Why do you want to investigate me?” she asked. When I responded that I was a retired reporter and was doing due diligence, she replied, “Thank you for your interest in our company. We do not give you any information to you.”
I made it clear that I wasn’t interested. Basically, I couldn’t trust them. However, some people have fallen for investment scams. Citing a Federal Trade Commission complaint, ProPublica reported one pig-butchering victim lost almost $1.4 million.
I’m not trying to stoke race-baiting, the modern-day equivalent of the Yellow Peril. I’d feel the same way if blue-eyed, blonde beauties targeted me.
I earned a modest income as a community journalist. Through frugality, long-term investing and an inheritance, I’m able to enjoy a retirement lifestyle I could not have afforded if Social Security were my sole income source.
P.T. Barnum said there is a sucker born every minute. The internet age has probably accelerated it to every nanosecond. I won’t let a pretty face from someone I’ve never met talk me into risking my retirement nest egg. This Big Piggy isn’t going to market.