Persuasive Schemes for Financial Exploitation in Online Romance Scam: An Anatomy on Sha Zhu Pan (杀猪盘) in China

Existing process models vary significantly in the number and content of scenes, with some outlining only a few steps and others defining up to 16.

“Models vary significantly in the number and content of scenes. Some outline only a few steps (e.g., Wang & Zhou, 2023), while others define up to 16 (e.g., Shaari et al., 2019).”

While some online romance scams last only a few days, most span several months, and some continue for years, in extreme cases up to 8 years.

“While some scams last only a few days (Gillespie, 2017; Wang & Zhou, 2023), most span several months (Rege, 2009; Whitty, 2013), and some continue for years (Huhn, 2023)—in extreme cases, up to 8 years (Aborisade et al., 2024).”

Existing models vary in their focus on specific variants of online romance scams, such as the Sha Zhu Pan scam or specific cultural contexts like South Korea.

“For example, some examine the Sha Zhu Pan scam (“pig-butchering”), which is particularly prevalent in China and Southeast Asia (Wang & Zhou, 2023), while others take a broader approach or zoom in on specific cultural contexts, such as South Korea (Choi et al., 2024).”

Operational structures are treated differently in existing models: some consider individual offenders, while others focus on organized networks.

“Operational structures are also treated differently: some studies consider individual offenders (Whitty, 2013, 2015), while others focus on organized networks (Andoh-Baidoo et al., 2024; Wang & Zhou, 2023).”

The information collected during reconnaissance is used to tailor the scammer's profile and contact strategy to the specific characteristics of the target.

“The collected information is then used to tailor the scammer’s profile and contact strategy to the specific characteristics of the target (Dickerson et al., 2020; Wang & Zhou, 2023).”

Numerous scam organizations exist globally, such as the Sha Zhu Pan scam in China and Southeast Asia, which is exclusively carried out in an organized setting.

“Numerous scam organizations exist globally, such as the Sha Zhu Pan scam in China and Southeast Asia, which is exclusively carried out in an organized setting (Wang & Zhou, 2023).”

Victims are almost always promised that they will get their money back, or in the case of advance fee or investment scams, that they will even share in the scammer's supposed profits.

“Victims are almost always promised that they will get their money back (Koon & Yoong, 2017; Wang & Zhou, 2023), or in the case of advance fee or investment scams, that they will even share in the scammer’s supposed profits (Wang & Zhou, 2023).”

Payments may be made through a fake app developed by scammers, such as Huobi.

“or through a fake app developed by scammers (7.1e), such as “Huobi” (Wang & Zhou, 2023).”