Pig butchering is the next “humanitarian global crisis” (Lock and Code S06E25)

Pig butchering is described as a growing online investment scam that has ruined lives across the world, with the term used to describe scammers fattening up victims before slaughter. The feature on Lock and Code S06E25 frames it as the world’s worst scam, capable of fuelling underground economies that rival nation-states, with claims that more than $6.5 billion was stolen in 2024 alone, according to IC3.

The scams often begin with a simple “hello” sent via text or social media, progress through emotional manipulation, and culminate in bogus investment accounts that entice victims to invest more as their balances appear to grow.

The podcast features Erin West, founder of Operation Shamrock, discussing why major platforms fail to stop these schemes and why victims’ losses represent far more than a few dollars, calling it “the most compelling, horrific, humanitarian global crisis that is happening in the world today.” This analysis appears in Malwarebytes Labs’ December 15, 2025 piece accompanying the Lock and Code episode.