Relationship-to-Investment Chat Scam (Pig Butchering) by SMS

How it looks by SMS, the red flags and what to do.

On SMS the scammer has only a few lines to work with, so they use a deadline, a threat or a prize and a link that must be tapped "now". Relationship-to-Investment Chat Scam (Pig Butchering) is one of the ways this shows up: A friendly stranger builds trust over weeks, then introduces a 'sure' investment platform. See how this slow scam works and why it costs so much.

What relationship-to-investment chat scam (pig butchering) looks like by SMS

• A request to call a number, install an app or share an OTP.
• Several near-identical messages arriving together from different senders.
• A sender name that resembles a bank, courier, tax or utility, or an ordinary mobile number.

The scammer, often a team behind a stolen profile, starts with a 'wrong number' text or a friendly contact on a dating or social app. The conversation is patient and personal. The contact shares a lifestyle, a family and a hobby, and sends plausible photos. There is no request for money for many days, which makes the person lower their guard and feel a genuine bond.

Red flags to check on the text message

• A stranger who becomes close quickly and avoids meeting or a live call.
• A friend who brings up a profitable platform or app.
• A platform you can only reach through a link or file the friend sent.
• A first small withdrawal followed by pressure to deposit more.
• It tells you to install an app from a link instead of the official store.
• The link domain is not the one you type yourself for that organisation.

What to do

1. Stop depositing and do not pay any withdrawal fee.
2. Ask for a live video call and see whether the person refuses or avoids it.
3. Do a reverse image search of the profile photos.
4. Paste the text into a scam checker (Safeavio Sentinel can check it) before you do anything else.
5. Report the sender on the Sanchar Saathi portal (Chakshu facility) and block the number.
6. Delete the message and tell family members who may get the same text.

You can report suspicious SMS and calls on the Sanchar Saathi portal (Chakshu facility) of the Department of Telecommunications.

If money or a code is already gone

1. Call 1930 as soon as you suspect and report at cybercrime.gov.in with all chats and transactions.
2. Tell your bank on the number printed on your card and ask about holding transfers.
3. Do not borrow more to try to recover the money.
4. Seek support from family or a counsellor, since the emotional impact is real.

National Cyber Crime Helpline: 1930; report at cybercrime.gov.in.

Safeavio's scam check can read chats you paste and point out the platform pitch and the withdrawal fee, the link check can warn about lookalike trading sites, and Money Shield's checklist and family code word help you pause before a transfer. It does not read your chats on its own, cannot judge whether a person is real and cannot recover money.

Full guide: Relationship-to-Investment Chat Scam (Pig Butchering): how it works, signs and what to do. Other channels: WhatsApp, social media, fake app.

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