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Romance Scam / Pig Butchering

Fictitious case for demonstration. Six-month relationship built on a dating app led to £28,000 in bank transfers to overseas accounts. Classic pig butchering pattern: build trust, introduce “investment opportunity”, escalate requests.

1
Forensic Investigation Report
10 pages • Financial tracing + Social engineering analysis + OSINT
2
Formal Statement
8 pages • Ready to submit to Action Fraud / Police
Document 1 — Forensic Investigation Report
🔎
Forensic Report — Romance Scam
TraceProof_Forensic_Report.pdf • 10 pages • Classification TLP:RED
Risk 95/100
TP-2026-7832 Method: Romance fraud / Pig butchering Amount: £28,000 Vector: Hinge dating app + WhatsApp Funds traced to Hong Kong

Six-month grooming operation via dating app — escalating financial requests

⚙ Investigation methodology
1. Profile analysis: Reverse image search, social media cross-reference, profile creation date • 2. Communication pattern: Message frequency analysis, scripted response detection • 3. Financial tracing: Bank transfer routing through UK intermediary accounts to Hong Kong • 4. Beneficiary analysis: Account holder identification, shell company research • 5. Network mapping: Link to known romance fraud syndicate operating from SE Asia

Timeline of events

October 2025
Initial contact on Hinge. Profile: “Sophie Chen”, 34, financial analyst in London. Professional photos (later identified as stolen from a Taiwanese influencer’s Instagram).
November 2025
Conversation moves to WhatsApp. Daily messages, voice notes (pre-recorded). Claims to be “too busy with work” for video calls. Builds emotional connection over 4 weeks.
December 2025
First mention of “investment opportunity”. Claims uncle works at a Hong Kong hedge fund with “insider information” on crypto arbitrage. Shows fabricated screenshots of £200,000 portfolio.
January 2026
Victim makes first transfer: £3,000 to “trading account” (UK bank account held by money mule). Platform shows immediate 40% profit.
February – March 2026
Escalating deposits: £5,000, £8,000, £12,000. Total: £28,000. Each time, platform shows growing balance. Small “withdrawal” of £500 allowed to build trust.
April 2026
Victim requests full withdrawal. Told “tax clearance” of £6,000 needed. Victim refuses. “Sophie” becomes hostile, then blocks on all platforms. Trading platform goes offline.

Financial flow analysis

DateAmountDestinationStatus
15 Jan 2026£3,000Barclays UK — “Chen Trading Ltd”MULE ACCOUNT
2 Feb 2026£5,000Monzo — Personal account (J. Williams)MULE ACCOUNT
18 Feb 2026£8,000HSBC HK — “Asia Pacific Ventures Ltd”SHELL COMPANY
10 Mar 2026£12,000HSBC HK — “Asia Pacific Ventures Ltd”SHELL COMPANY
Document 2 — Formal Statement (extract)
Formal Statement — Romance Fraud
TraceProof_Statement.pdf • 8 pages • Ready for Action Fraud submission

I, REDACTED, report that between October 2025 and April 2026, I was subjected to a sophisticated romance fraud. The perpetrator(s), operating under the alias “Sophie Chen”, established a fraudulent romantic relationship via the Hinge dating application and subsequently induced me to transfer a total of £28,000 to accounts they controlled.

The fraud followed the established “pig butchering” pattern: (1) initial contact via legitimate dating platform; (2) rapid escalation of emotional intimacy; (3) introduction of purported investment opportunity; (4) small initial “profit” to build confidence; (5) escalating deposit requests; (6) refusal of withdrawals with demand for additional fees; (7) complete cessation of contact.

Generation time: ~65 seconds • Format: Print-ready PDFs • Ready to submit: Complete and ready for Action Fraud • Updates: Report can be regenerated if new evidence emerges

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