Some major tech companies including Meta are taking steps to combat “pig butchering” scams, which trick Americans out of billions of dollars each year through fake online friendships and romances.
Pig butchering scams are elaborate and often take months to unfold.
Meta on Thursday announced it has taken its first major steps into addressing the scams, including dedicating staff to identify where scammers operate, sharing that information with international law enforcement, and taking down more than 2 million accounts this year.
The announcement reflects how more tech companies are recognizing the severity of pig butchering scams.
Calling themselves the Tech Against Scams coalition, the companies pledged to share scammer information with each other and better educate users.
Persons:
they’ve, Meta, Jeff Lunglhofer, ”, Jake Sims, Operation Shamrock, “, ” Sims
Organizations:
Meta, Facebook, FBI, Tech, NBC News
Locations:
WhatsApp, France, Cambodia, OpenAI