30-year-old man loses $300,000 to pig-butchering scam on dating app, 70% recovered via cryptocurrency wallet tracing

Summary

In 2022, a 30-year-old man in the U.S. was scammed out of $300,000 through a "pig-butchering" scam after meeting a scammer on a dating app. Erin West, a California prosecutor specializing in cybercrime, led an investigation that recovered about 70% of the stolen funds by tracing the money to a cryptocurrency wallet. The case marked the first known success in recovering funds from a "pig-butchering" scam, where scammers build trust before defrauding victims. The victim, deeply affected by the scam, experienced emotional distress, including suicidal thoughts. The recovery was achieved through a warrant obtained to freeze and seize the funds on a cryptocurrency exchange.