An online dating match or wrong-number text becomes a crypto trading pitch
A stranger contacts you on Tinder, Hinge, Bumble, WhatsApp, or by "wrong number" text. Over weeks they build a romantic relationship, then introduce a "guaranteed" crypto or forex trading platform. Fake profits show on the dashboard; when you try to withdraw, they demand tax, unlock fees, or larger deposits. Australian losses to this scam category surpassed $200 million in recent years.
Also known as: pig butchering scam, sha zhu pan, crypto romance scam, wrong number investment scam, Tinder trading platform scam
Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes
- 1 Call your bank or card's fraud line right now. Use the number on the back of your card — not any number from the message or caller. Ask them to stop or reverse the payment and freeze the account.
- 2 If you paid by gift card, wire, or an app (Zelle, Venmo, Cash App): contact that company immediately and report it as fraud. Acting fast sometimes recovers the money.
- 3 Report to the FBI at ic3.gov and the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. The sooner, the better.
What to do right now
- 1 Stop contact immediately and do not send more money — earlier deposits are almost certainly unrecoverable
- 2 Contact your bank's fraud team as soon as possible — some banks now reimburse victims under the Scam-Safe Accord
- 3 If money was sent by bank transfer, ask your bank about recall via the New Payments Platform (NPP) — recovery is more likely within hours than days
- 4 Do NOT pay any 'recovery' firm that later contacts you — that is a second scam (see our [recovery-room entry](/au/en/au-recovery-room-scam/))
- 5 Seek support — this scam involves emotional manipulation and is not your fault. IDCARE offers free counselling at https://www.idcare.org
- 6 Report to Scamwatch at https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam or ReportCyber at https://www.cyber.gov.au/report.
Red flags
- ⚠ Contact began with an unexpected wrong-number text, WhatsApp, or social media message from someone attractive who moves the chat off the dating app quickly
- ⚠ They mention a family member 'in finance' or a proprietary AI trading platform that 'always makes money'
- ⚠ The trading platform is not on the ASIC Financial Services Licence register — check at https://asic.gov.au and https://moneysmart.gov.au
- ⚠ Small early withdrawals succeed to build trust; the platform then demands 'personal income tax' or 'unlock fees' before larger withdrawals will be released
- ⚠ They refuse video calls, or the video call is short and low quality — real-time AI face-swap is now used by scam-centre workers to simulate identity
Known variants
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'Wrong number' variant: unsolicited SMS or WhatsApp arrives addressed to a name that isn't yours. When you reply to say wrong number, the sender responds friendly, keeps chatting, and after weeks introduces the platform. Same script as dating-app pig butchering with a different entry point.
Last seen: 6/30/2026