Cybersecurity Today Year End Repeat: Pig Butchering: Operation Shamrock Fights Back
Dec 24, 2025
Erin West, a former California prosecutor and founder of Operation Shamrock, sheds light on the alarming rise of large-scale 'pig butchering' scams. She uncovers the shocking origins of these scams, often run from industrial facilities in Southeast Asia, and shares her efforts to train investigators on blockchain techniques. Erin discusses the emotional toll on victims, urging a stigma-free approach to reporting. With practical insights on community outreach and victim support, she underscores the importance of empathy in combating these manipulative schemes.
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Scale And Severity Of Pig Butchering
- Pig butchering is a massive, organized criminal industry that steals life-changing sums from victims worldwide.
- Reported losses are billions but true scale is much larger because most victims never report.
Prosecutor Turned Activist
- Erin West left a 26-year prosecutor career to tackle this fraud full time because existing systems were unprepared.
- She saw victims lose entire net worths and realized prosecution alone couldn't solve the crisis.
Industrialized Scam Operations
- The fraud operates at industrial scale from Southeast Asian compounds repurposed as scam factories.
- Technology and mass social engineering let these operations flood victims worldwide rapidly.