By Poppy McPherson, Han Huang and Ally Levine
Dec 31 (Reuters) - A handbook found during a police raid on a compound used by a cyberfraud gang in the Philippines offers detailed instructions in Chinese for conducting scams and reveals a blueprint for grooming and deception.
"A woman's IQ is zero when in love," it states on its second page. "As long as the emotions are in place, the client's money will naturally follow."
A second handbook, seized during another law enforcement operation in the country
and reviewed by Reuters, gives tips in English and Chinese about how to conduct romance scams.
Together, they provide a window into the psychological techniques criminal gangs use to beguile a victim into believing they are in a romantic relationship, before duping them into fraudulent investments.
This kind of fraud is known as "pig-butchering" because the gangs say targets are led like hapless pigs to slaughter. It is among the most prevalent scams today, according to the FBI.
In a series of stories this year, Reuters documented how these "pig-butchering" scams are often carried out by victims of human trafficking, who are forced to work in industrial-scale scam compounds in Southeast Asia run by Chinese-led gangs. Such cyberfraud has been supercharged by artificial intelligence, which allows scammers to deploy sophisticated tools to make their fraudulent appeals for money more deceptive, the series revealed.
The two manuals, the contents of which Reuters is reporting exclusively, show that gangs have developed detailed guidance for creating fake personas to lure their targets, as well as strategies to handle a victim if they suspect a ruse.
The authenticity of both handbooks was confirmed by a spokesperson for the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission in the Philippines, who said they were recovered from two compounds raided last year in the north of the capital, Manila.
The Chinese manual outlines a seven-day plan to defraud women in China by convincing them to invest in crude oil via a fake platform. It refers to targets as "clients" and the theft as a "sale."
The bilingual handbook targets men. It does not explicitly say how money will be extracted from victims, but suggests the fraudster discuss cryptocurrency with the target.
The first handbook, which is nine pages long, was found in a compound built on land partially owned by a Chinese-born woman named Alice Guo, the PAOCC said.
Authorities also found mobile phones allegedly used for pig-butchering fraud, as well as several hundred people "involved in scams" at the compound. Many of them were trafficking victims, PAOCC said.
Guo is serving a life sentence after being convicted in November of human trafficking. Her lawyer did not respond to questions about the manual and the activities carried out in the compound.
Reuters could not establish if either manual was ever used in a scam. However, the methods they outline are consistent with those described to the news agency by two former workers in scamming compounds. One of the workers, who operated out of Myanmar, said he had used a similar manual to carry out a "pig-butchering" scam.
Such scripts were found in at least two other police raids conducted in 2023 and 2024 in the Philippines and Thailand, according to a 2024 report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, which shares expertise with national law enforcement agencies.
Two experts who reviewed the Chinese-language manual at Reuters' request said it demonstrated complex manipulation techniques. These include isolating and overwhelming with affection a prospective target, who then becomes hooked on the conversations.
HOW THE SCAMMER BUILDS THE FACADE
The first step of a "pig-butchering" scam involves creating a fake identity.
An elaborate facade can open the door to an emotional connection with a prospective victim, the Chinese manual says on its first page.
Martina Dove, a U.S.-based psychologist who studies scams and reviewed that manual for Reuters, said her research found that romance scammers often impersonated authority figures when targeting female victims, and then used control against them.
That can translate into a scammer pretending to be a skilled professional like a doctor or lawyer, or a senior uniformed figure like a general, she said.
Britain's Barclays Bank has found that men are slightly more likely than women to fall victim to love scams, though women on average lose more than twice as much money. Its conclusion was based on a review of an unspecified number of scams perpetrated on its customers between January 2023 and May 2024.
A STUDY STRUCTURE
The fake persona is grounded in foundational details that the Chinese manual recommends remain constant.
Birthday : Taurus Zodiac is recommended as it is considered most compatible with other signs.
Hometown : Match it to the regional accent of the scammer.
Family : Pretend to have been divorced for six years, with a daughter who lives with the ex-wife.
Job : Say you have a managerial position at Chinese state oil company Sinopec but are currently stationed outside the country.
Sinopec did not return a request for comment about whether it was aware of being identified in any scam manuals or if it had received any complaints.
FINE-TUNED FRAMEWORK
The Chinese-language playbook suggests altering some details to create common ground with the prospective target.
Age: The scammer should pretend to be one or two years older than the victim.
His mother should live near the target, but not so close that they may have overlapping communities.
FINISHING TOUCHES
The final layer brings the fake persona to life. The Chinese manual prompts the scammer to go beyond basic biographical information. Specifics sell the story, it says.
Examples of suggested hobbies and interests in the handbook include swimming, climbing, cooking, reading and traveling.
Lifestyle details that should be memorized include owning a three-bedroom residence and an upmarket sedan.
Once all the details are in place, the scammer is ready to reach out to a target.
MAKING CONTACT
The first day's instructions contain a word-for-word script.
"Hello! My name is XXX, nice to meet you!"
The scammer asks questions to gauge whether the target has been previously defrauded and to assess their interest in investments.
Then it's time for the first phone call, which is an opportunity to start building the relationship by sharing "emotional experiences", the manual says.
ADAPTING TO THE TARGET
The Chinese handbook instructs its reader to adapt their approach to the target's personality.
It states: "Middle‑aged women are, in fact, the group carrying the heaviest burden. Husbands often don't listen patiently, and children are too young to understand the intricacies and difficulties within. So, if you want to build a relationship with middle-aged women, chat with them about the trivial matters in life!"
It shows how scammers probe for circumstances – divorce, or an interest in making money quickly – that may make the target more approachable, said Dove.
"Everybody's vulnerable. You just need to meet the right scam at the right time."
There are many paths the scammer could take to grow the connection.
The handbook untangles the possible routes by sorting victims into distinct personalities.
The path forward with a victim who is:
Cold-hearted: The target has a personality that tends to keep others at a distance.
The scammer responds by teasing to push the victim to drop her aloof facade.
Undermine them slightly and then sweet-talk them afterward.
Career-oriented: Independent and satisfied with how far they've come.
Scammer aims to reflect a glowing attitude towards life. Radiates positivity and competence to appear reliable.
Conservative: The victim presents as having more traditional values.
Scammer pushes an alternative path of excitement. Gives the victim an escape from the daily norm.
The way forward can be plotted based on a victim’s upbringing:
Pampered: Spoiled by parents. Intermittent attention teases the victim into seeking out connection.
Rough: Insecure, lacks confidence. Scammer gives clear and structured directions. Scammer also provides daily encouragement and guidance that the victim may have lacked growing up.
Romantic experience
A lot: Mature and independent. Mirrors victim's actions to avoid seeming needy. Lets the victim come to them.
Very little: Fantasize about future relationship. Uses flirty language and compliments the victim daily to draw them in.
For every personality type, the end goal is the same.
Bring the victim closer to the scammer to grow the relationship, the Chinese manual says.
A key part of the con as described in both manuals involves mimicking the target's interests and language, while showering them with attention.
The script in the Chinese manual instructs its reader to send "daily greetings" to show care, and "make the client fall in love" with the persona.
Give the target small tasks to do, so that they begin to take instructions, the manual says.
The bilingual manual has similar prompts:
"How are you this afternoon?"
"Remember to eat on time when you are busy at work."
"I've always loved playing basketball. I’ve always been a Lakers fan but since Kobe left, I've been afraid to watch Lakers games."
Beth Hyland, who was targeted by a love scam in late 2023, said some of the techniques in the manuals, which were shared with her by a reporter, echoed the tactics she fell victim to.
Reuters couldn't independently ascertain if the individual she was scammed by was familiar with either handbook.
The then-52-year-old was online dating for the first time after a divorce when she met "Richard" on Tinder.
A Tinder spokesperson told Reuters it has a zero-tolerance policy for fraud and is "constantly monitoring our platform to detect and remove any suspicious profiles". The spokesperson added that the company uses AI tools to help warn users of potential scams.
Hyland said "Richard" described himself as a French construction project manager and drew her in with compliments and chats about spirituality.
"He knew how to move fast without suffocating me, without coming on too strong," said Hyland.
Within weeks, they were engaged.
Speed is key: the Chinese handbook is intended to enable a scam in as little as seven days. The two former workers in scam compounds told Reuters that they also worked off scripts for seven-day scams.
By the second day, the scammer should be talking about his interest in investments, that manual says. By Day 5, he should try to establish a romantic relationship. And by the seventh, he should have introduced a fake investment platform for the target to put money into.
The bilingual handbook similarly emphasizes that the scammer should quickly enmesh themselves in the target's life.
The reader should drop a target by the end of the third day if the victim is slow to respond, says the 13-page manual, whose title was partially obscured by a waterstain.
"... In short, don't chat awkwardly. Our mission is to share life and work happily with customers."
That manual, which instructs the scammer to pose as a woman, references contacting male targets at certain times of the day in Brazil.
Brazilian Federal Police declined to comment when asked if they were aware of an instruction manual being used to conduct scams on its citizens, citing ongoing investigations.
A lawyer for Cassandra Ong, the registered representative of the compound where the bilingual handbook was found, said he was not aware of the manual's existence. Ong, who is a fugitive from charges of human trafficking, denies the allegations, he said.
EXECUTING THE SCAM
The Chinese manual features answers to common questions that may be raised by wary targets, including "why do you like me?"
The answer: “Because I feel good chatting with you, I really cherish this connection.”
Q: Why can't I withdraw the money?
A: Because the platform has a "detection mechanism," frequent withdrawals might attract the attention of customer service.
So, darling, you must listen to me and follow my lead. When the time comes, we'll withdraw the money together.
Q: Why is the account frozen?
A: Why don't you listen to me? Didn't I tell you whether to withdraw or not? Your random operations led to the account being frozen. Quickly contact customer service to see how to resolve it.
The schemes sometimes involve multiple scammers talking to the same target according to the bilingual manual and interviews with the two former scam workers.
That manual directs the scammer to hand over to a senior Chinese worker when the victim starts talking about their finances. The document does not state what role the Chinese national plays, but one of the scam workers said a team leader often took over when a victim was about to transfer funds. He did not specify why.
After about six weeks of conversation, "Richard" duped Hyland into sending him $26,000 via cryptocurrency to pay an emergency travel fee.
As she was on the verge of sending another $50,000 for what she was told was an activation fee to unlock millions of dollars in funds, her financial advisor warned her she was in the depths of a "classic romance fraud".
Once the fraudster moves to extract money, the facade they have built inevitably collapses.
Sometimes the wake-up call comes in the form of a fraud alert from the bank or a warning from a financial advisor.
Sometimes it does not come as a dramatic revelation but a slow and painful recognition, said Rebecca Cole, a social worker and academic specializing in online victimization and romance scams.
THE AFTERMATH
"I just remember my heart dropping," Hyland said. "I couldn't wrap my head around it."
Hyland never got her $26,000 back. And to date, she does not know what "Richard’s" real identity was.
Many victims find themselves trapped in a cycle of shame. Some are isolated by their families, said Monica Whitty, a professor at Monash University in Australia who researches cybercrime.
Meanwhile, the scammer moves on.
"Remember not to hang yourself on one tree," the Chinese manual advises its reader, urging them to constantly send messages and look for new targets.
Even as one victim reels from the theft, the scammer leaves a light on for new connections.
"Hello! My name is XXX, nice to meet you!"
(Additional reporting by Luciana Novaes Magalhaes in Sao Paulo; Editing by Simon Scarr and Katerina Ang)
