6 ms·

Come on, I think you're just looking for things to get upset about (and not engaging with the content in any meaningful way). Assigning specific (and colorful)

by norgie 2y ago

Come on, I think you're just looking for things to get upset about (and not engaging with the content in any meaningful way). Assigning specific (and colorful) names to scams/cons has always been a thing. See - Pig in a poke https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pig_in_a_poke https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pig_in_a_poke - Spanish prisoner https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Prisoner https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Prisoner - Badger game https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badger_game https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badger_game - Coin smack https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coin-matching_game https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coin-matching_game - Pigeon drop https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pigeon_drop https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pigeon_drop And anyway, the name seems to come from the scammers themselves in China, so I don't know why the media would be to blame.

wavemode 2y ago
I'm not upset, and I don't think your examples are analogous, since they all do have a specific meaning beyond "scam". I think both things can be true - the term originated from Chinese and became a common term in that region for long conning people over the internet, sure. But, at the same time, the media has also latched onto its use largely for dramatic effect, even when there is no evidence the scammers are Chinese.
drwl 2y ago
I don’t think that’s fair to say the person is not engaging content in a meaningful way. Have you read the article? It’s pretty clean cut aside from understanding who the perpetrators were. The ceo of a bank got conned and went to prison, and there’s emphasis on calling the con a “pig butchering scam”
wyldfire 2y ago
Absent the etymology described in this thread, I would have had a similar confusion to theirs as to what distinguishes this scam. But now I know it's a regional term for it and I shouldn't necessarily expect a term with an obvious connection to how the scheme works.
- akerl_ 2y ago
  It's called pig butchering because the scam relies on a long con where the scammer often "feeds" the mark with either real or fake small wins to entice them to provide more money to the scammer. They're "fattening" the pig.

by norgie 2y ago

wavemode 2y ago

I'm not upset, and I don't think your examples are analogous, since they all do have a specific meaning beyond "scam". I think both things can be true - the term originated from Chinese and became a common term in that region for long conning people over the internet, sure. But, at the same time, the media has also latched onto its use largely for dramatic effect, even when there is no evidence the scammers are Chinese.

drwl 2y ago

I don’t think that’s fair to say the person is not engaging content in a meaningful way. Have you read the article? It’s pretty clean cut aside from understanding who the perpetrators were. The ceo of a bank got conned and went to prison, and there’s emphasis on calling the con a “pig butchering scam”

wyldfire 2y ago

Absent the etymology described in this thread, I would have had a similar confusion to theirs as to what distinguishes this scam. But now I know it's a regional term for it and I shouldn't necessarily expect a term with an obvious connection to how the scheme works.

akerl_ 2y ago
It's called pig butchering because the scam relies on a long con where the scammer often "feeds" the mark with either real or fake small wins to entice them to provide more money to the scammer. They're "fattening" the pig.