Meta removed 2 million accounts linked to 'pig butchering' scams: Know what it is and how it works

Meta has ramped up its fight against organized scam operations, taking down over two million accounts linked to fraudulent activities across Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, the UAE, and the Philippines this year alone. The initiative is part of the company’s broader efforts to combat “pig butchering” scams and other schemes designed to defraud victims worldwide, often through text messages, social media, dating platforms, and crypto apps.

In a detailed announcement, Meta unveiled its comprehensive approach to dismantling these cross-border criminal syndicates, which include forced labor scam centers that exploit vulnerable job seekers. These operations are responsible for a staggering $64 billion in global fraud annually, according to the U.S. Institute of Peace.

What is “Pig Butchering”?

One of the most notorious scams, “pig butchering,” involves criminals building personal relationships with victims online before coercing them into fraudulent investments, often in cryptocurrency. Victims are initially allowed to withdraw small amounts to build trust but are ultimately left penniless when the scammers vanish with their funds.

During the pandemic, scam compounds run by organized crime groups flourished in Southeast Asia, becoming major hubs for global fraud. These centers often recruit unsuspecting job seekers through misleading ads on job boards and forums, forcing them to work as scammers under threats of physical harm.

Meta’s investigations reveal that these operations are highly scripted and involve a variety of fraudulent activities, including gambling, impersonation scams, and bogus investment platforms. Scammers cast a wide net online, using automated messages to reach potential victims before narrowing their focus to personalized manipulation.

Meta’s Strategy Against Scam Centers

Meta employs a multi-pronged approach to disrupt these operations:
    1.    Dangerous Organizations and Individuals (DOI) Policy: Criminal groups involved in scams are designated under Meta’s DOI policy, banning them from its platforms and subjecting them to strict enforcement measures. This year, Meta expanded its monitoring to identify and disrupt new scam hubs.
    2.    Platform Enforcement: The company has bolstered its detection systems to identify and block fraudulent accounts. Over two million accounts linked to scam centers in Southeast Asia and the UAE were removed in 2024 alone.
    3.    Collaboration with Law Enforcement and Industry Peers: Meta is working closely with global law enforcement agencies, NGOs, and industry partners. For example, the Royal Thai Police has collaborated with Meta to hold criminal syndicates accountable. In another case, Meta worked with OpenAI to disrupt scams that used AI-generated content targeting victims in Chinese and Japanese.
    4.    Building Product Defenses: New features on Meta’s platforms aim to protect users from suspicious interactions. Messenger and Instagram now display warnings for unsolicited messages, while WhatsApp offers detailed context cards for group invitations from unknown contacts.

Last week, Meta co-hosted a Summit on Countering Online Criminal Scam Syndicates as part of the Tech Against Scams Coalition, which includes companies like Coinbase, Ripple, and Match Group. The summit brought together tech firms, law enforcement, and NGOs to explore solutions to the transnational threat posed by online scam networks.