A new, increasingly common variant of dating fraud is pig butchering. Fattening a pig to then slaughter it is the loose interpretation. Through a dating app or social media, victims come into contact with so-called rich and beautiful men or women who gain their trust and promise them the moon. But in the end, the victim is left with enormous emotional and financial damage. This also happened to businesswoman Emma, ​​who tells her story anonymously to Kassa. Through a dating app, she met an Englishman with whom she immediately clicked. They sent hundreds of messages and photos back and forth, and a romantic connection blossomed. This man, a certain Angus, soon told her that he was involved in investments and cryptocurrencies for his work. Emma also had crypto coins herself and his knowledge of the investment market seemed reliable. After weeks of sending romantic messages back and forth every day, Angus has become a permanent part of her day. They make plans to meet each other soon. At one point, he suggests helping her with investments in cryptocurrencies and sends her a website. This later turns out to be a counterfeit version of the legitimate crypto platform FBS. It starts with small amounts, but Emma sees her money grow and invests more and more. Eventually, more than 180,000 euros, money that she had set aside as an entrepreneur for her old age. But then Emma receives a message that she would have to pay another twenty percent tax on her profit. This means that she would have to deposit another 120,000 euros to meet the so-called tax requirement. The contact with Angus becomes grimmer from that moment on. Emma realizes that something is not right and reports it to the police. All her money seems to have disappeared. Pig butchering is a growing problem. In 2023, the Fraud Help Desk received a total of 130 reports, and in 2024, with more than three months to go, there have already been 170 reports. Lawyer Marius Hupkes represents several people who have fallen victim to a combination of dating fraud and investment fraud, which is in fact pig butchering. Hupkes explains that there are international criminal gangs that cleverly manipulate their victims to gain their trust and then extort money from them. This often involves hundreds of thousands of euros in damages per person. These money flows are difficult to trace, and there is therefore a need for haste to try to recover money via online investment platforms or other financial intermediaries before the money is transferred further. Ayleen Charlotte also fell victim to dating fraud. Her story can be seen in the world-famous Netflix documentary The Tinder Swindler. Ayleen emphasises that dating fraud – of which there are many variations – can happen to anyone. Perpetrators use sophisticated techniques to gain the trust of their victim, and at some point they will need money or suggest investing your money in something. Ayleen has found that reporting to the police is not always taken seriously right away. She advocates a shift in the way victims are viewed and treated. And according to Ayleen, it is necessary for victims not to be ashamed of what has been done to them, but to go to the police and report it. Precisely to be able to tackle these types of criminal gangs. Ayleen Charlotte gives the following tips to prevent yourself from becoming a victim of this. For example, Ayleen emphasizes that an alarm bell should go off if a feeling of urgency or pressure is created to act. For example, to borrow money, pay something or invest in something. It would then be best to confide in someone else to tell it and take a break before you make a decision about what is being asked of you. That cooling-off period often makes a lot clear. ― Kassa is the consumer platform of BNNVARA. Problems with insurance companies and banks, but also issues such as laughing gas, fillers, phishing and ransomware are discussed. We handle individual complaints in the Belbus and we regularly test various products & services. Kassa has been around since 1989 and is presented by Amber Kortzorg and Mai Verbij. Every Saturday at 19:15 on NPO 2. Or every Thursday at 16:00 on this channel! The latest consumer news, help articles and the consumer forum Questions & Answers can be found on our website: https://kassa.nl. Also follow us on Facebook, X, Instagram & TikTok: / bnnvarakassa / kassa_bnnvara / bnnvarakassa / bnnvarakassa