NEW DELHI: The government has warned of a new cybercrime scheme known as the “pig butchering scam,” which preys on vulnerable people, students, and jobless youth. Victims not only lose money but are also forced into cyber slavery, officials said on 27 February 2025.

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs claimed that this was also emphasized in their most recent annual report, which was released last month. They also mentioned that dishonest people and organizations have been observed using Google services platforms to commit these crimes.

A senior official stated, “Reports from the cyber intelligence wing indicate that a new online fraud module, called ‘Pig Butchering Scam’ or ‘Investment Scam,’ has been observed circulating in cyberspace. It targets unemployed youths, housewives, students, and those in need, who are either tricked into losing large sums of money every day or lured into engaging in cyber slavery.”

“The Google Ads platform offers a convenient way to post targeted ads from across the border,” he stated. the “Pig Butchering Scam” or the “Investment Scam,” this scam is a global phenomenon that involves widespread money laundering and even cyber slavery.

According to sources, it is believed that this kind of scam began in China in 2016. They claimed that in these fraud modules, criminals prey on unsuspecting people, with whom they gradually gain trust, then persuade them to invest in cryptocurrency or another profitable scheme before embezzling the money they have earned.

The fattening of pigs before their slaughter is the source of the comparison to pig butchering, according to the officials. According to the officials, cybercriminals use this fraud model to deceive victims by gaining their trust and then using them as slaves to commit various online crimes.

The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) within the MHA cooperated with Google to share threat intelligence for periodic prompt action to successfully deal with the danger when the trend became apparent, according to the officials.

In addition to Google, the officials stated that sponsored Facebook links are being aggressively detected and shared with the social media platform for appropriate action. These connections are being used by hackers to initiate illicit financing applications in India.