Media Union: Millions are being defrauded through emotional manipulation – now in Hungary too

“Relationship-based online investment fraud” – often referred to in the English-language press as “pig butchering scam” – is one of the most dangerous and difficult to detect forms of scam that Hungarian users are increasingly encountering. The essence of the method is not a sudden attack or phishing: the fraudsters gain the trust of their victims over weeks or even months of contact. The relationship often starts on a dating site, in a social media comment or with an “accidentally sent” message. The perpetrator is friendly, attentive, and interested, and the victim feels that finally someone is really paying attention to them. The conversations become personal, touching on increasingly intimate topics, and by the time the fraudster comes up with the “opportunity,” the target no longer sees him as a stranger but as a potential companion, a trusted partner.

The investment offer is usually made through a cryptocurrency platform that appears professional. The user initially deposits only a small amount into the system, which the platform returns with a “profit” within a short time. This creates new trust, and the victim invests more and more – in many cases, mobilizing their savings, loans, or family resources, as they are no longer motivated by profit but also by emotional attachment. However, the system is not real: the spectacular results are just simulations, the website is fake, and there is no investment activity in the background. At the end of the relationship, when the victim wants to access their money, the scammer disappears, the platform becomes inaccessible – and the victim collapses not only financially, but also emotionally.