MANILA, Philippines — Handbooks recovered in Philippine police raids offer a rare, inside look at how cyberfraud gangs coach workers to run “pig-butchering” cons, including a scripted seven-day sprint from first hello to an investment pitch, Dec. 31, 2025.
Reuters reviewed two manuals that authorities said were recovered from separate compounds raided in 2024 north of Manila. One, written in Chinese, lays out a day-by-day plan to target women and steer them toward a fake trading platform; the other, bilingual in English and Chinese, gives prompts aimed at men and encourages weaving cryptocurrency talk into the relationship-building phase.
Inside the pig-butchering playbook: a weeklong route from flirtation to fraud
The manuals show “pig-butchering” as a process, not a single message: build a persona, make contact, mirror a target’s interests, and escalate intimacy quickly. The Chinese guide includes word-for-word openers, daily check-ins meant to signal “care,” and troubleshooting lines for common doubts, such as why the scammer is suddenly interested. It also stresses speed and triage—dropping a target who doesn’t respond fast enough, and shifting the conversation toward money once emotional dependence is established.
Philippine authorities said the manuals were among items seized alongside phones allegedly used in pig-butchering fraud and hundreds of people found at one compound, including trafficking victims. Reuters reported it could not independently determine whether the documents were used in an actual scam, but noted that former scam-compound workers described similar scripting and rapid timelines.
Where AI fits into the modern con
While the manuals focus on psychology and cadence, they land in an ecosystem increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence. Reuters has reported that industrialized cyberfraud has been “supercharged” by AI tools that can polish language, tailor messages at scale, and help criminals appear more credible. Victim advocates and investigators warn that the same speed the manuals demand is easier to sustain when chat responses, translations and persona details can be generated instantly.
Law enforcement agencies say the pig-butchering model has spread rapidly beyond its early footprint, evolving alongside crypto markets and cross-border criminal networks. A U.S. Secret Service public alert, for example, describes pig-butchering as a trust-building scheme that pushes victims into transferring funds—often via cryptocurrency—into platforms controlled by fraudsters.
A long-running scam with shifting language
The revelations add detail to what researchers have warned about for years: “pig-butchering” blends romance tactics with investment fraud and can drain victims’ savings through staged “wins,” fake customer support and escalating fees. Earlier explainers and victim accounts documented how the scam’s emotional hook can be as damaging as the financial loss.
For background, see WIRED’s 2023 overview of how a pig-butchering scam works and ABC News’ 2024 reporting on a victim’s experience inside a “pig butchering” crypto con.
Some agencies now argue even the label deserves scrutiny. Interpol has urged communicators to avoid adopting criminals’ dehumanizing slang and instead use victim-centered terms such as romance baiting or investment fraud, even as “pig-butchering” remains widely used in public warnings and media coverage.
What readers can do next
Experts’ advice is consistent across jurisdictions: be cautious of fast-moving online relationships that pivot to investments, verify identities outside the platform, and treat any request to move money—especially crypto—to an unfamiliar site as a major warning sign. For additional detail from official and research sources, read Reuters’ reporting on the seized manuals in its interactive “blueprint”, the U.N. discussion of scam-compound tactics in Southeast Asia in this 2024 UNODC report, Interpol’s guidance on terminology in its 2024 statement, and the Secret Service’s warning in this public alert.
