Pig Butchering Scam UK: Dating Apps & Fake Crypto

If a new relationship starts leading toward a crypto "opportunity", the relationship itself may be the con.

By Alex Bacsa · Published 2026-05-08 · Updated 2026-07-05 · 3 min read

What a pig butchering scam looks like

This scam starts with contact on a dating app, or sometimes an unexpected "wrong number" text or message, that develops into what feels like a genuine relationship over weeks or months — usually without ever meeting in person. An example of the style, once trust is built: I've been doing really well with a crypto trading platform a friend showed me. You should let me show you how it works. The "relationship" is the mechanism, not a side effect.

Why it's called "pig butchering" and why it works

The term is commonly used for scams where a target is gradually built up with trust and fake profits before the final loss. UK reporting guidance treats this as overlapping with romance fraud and cryptocurrency investment fraud: the emotional relationship creates the trust, and the fake investment platform extracts the money. Weeks of apparently genuine connection, with no red flags beyond never quite meeting in person, lowers your guard far more than a cold approach could.

Signs you may be targeted by a pig butchering scam

• You met on a dating app, or through an unexpected message, and the relationship has moved fast emotionally.
• Despite weeks or months of contact, you've never met in person, and there's always a reason it can't happen yet.
• The person introduces a cryptocurrency trading "opportunity" or app.
• You're shown a dashboard of growing profits and encouraged to invest more.
• Attempts to withdraw money are met with excuses, fees, or the account being frozen.

How the scam works step by step

First, contact begins on a dating app or via an unsolicited message, and a relationship develops over an extended period with no in-person meeting. Second, once trust is established, a cryptocurrency trading platform or app is introduced, often described as something the other person has personally profited from. Third, an initial small investment shows fake but convincing growth. Fourth, you're encouraged to invest increasing amounts, until a withdrawal attempt is blocked, a large fee is demanded, or contact stops altogether.

How to protect yourself

Be cautious of any online relationship that moves toward a specific investment platform, however genuine the relationship feels.

• Never invest based on a relationship alone. Check any trading platform or firm independently using the FCA Financial Services Register.
• Treat an inability to ever meet in person, combined with an eventual investment pitch, as a serious warning sign.
• Remember that showing you fake "profits" on an app or platform proves nothing about whether the money is real or withdrawable.

If you've already sent money

Stop sending any further money immediately, even if told a fee is needed to release a withdrawal. Be alert to a follow-up "recovery" approach — a separate scam where someone offers, for an upfront fee, to get your lost money back.

How to report a pig butchering scam (UK)

Report it to Report Fraud at reportfraud.police.uk or 0300 123 2040 if you're in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland. This pattern can sit under romance fraud and cryptocurrency investment fraud. In Scotland, report to Police Scotland on 101.

Frequently asked questions

Reporting routes in this guide are checked against our verified canon of official UK sources — Action Fraud, the National Cyber Security Centre, and Citizens Advice — by an automated accuracy gate before publication. Fact-checked and updated by Alex Bacsa, Founder & Editor, on 2026-07-05. Read about how Beat the Scam writes guides.