An AI romance scam drained a Bitcoin investor’s retirement, showing how pig butchering scams exploit trust and crypto’s speed.
Bitcoin scams continue to change shape everyday, and this story shows how a new AI romance scam led to a massive loss for a Bitcoin investor.
The investor in question lost his retirement fund after trusting someone he met online, and has now joined the endless list of individuals who have had everything taken from them via pig butchering.
How the Bitcoin Romance Scam Began
The Bitcoin investor worked with a wealth adviser and saved up for his retirement for years. His means of saving also happened to be Bitcoin.
Trouble started for this investor after a recent divorce, when a stranger reached out online. The person claimed to be a woman who showed interest fast, and started to chat to the victim daily.
Soon after, the stranger shared a new idea. She claimed to trade Bitcoin for profit and promised to double the victim’s holdings in a short time. The screenshots she sent looked real, and the messages sounded confident.
Over time, trust grew step by step and that trust became a tool.
Adviser Warnings Fell on Deaf Ears
Terence Michael, an adviser at The Bitcoin Adviser, spotted the danger early. He saw the signs and called his client many times.
However, each warning failed and the investor believed that the woman he’d been speaking to truly cared about him.
Bitcoin adviser narrates the ordeal
I have a Bitcoin client
who just lost all his Bitcoin.He isn't wealthy.
He finally made it to 1 BTC.
I celebrated with him over the phone.But within days of him finally leaving Coinbase to setup a distributed multi-key security and inheritance protocol, he was approached by… pic.twitter.com/H1FK6Mbbyi
— Terence Michael (@ProofOfMoney) December 14, 2025
According to reports, one night, Michael received a final text. The Bitcoin was gone and every coin had been sent to the scammer.
He also reportedly transferred the funds willingly, with no exchange hack taking place.
What Makes Pig Butchering Scams Different
Pig butchering scams rely on grooming. Attackers spend days or weeks building bonds, and most of these are romantic in nature.
One common similarity between pig butchering scams is that victims do not feel rushed at first. Conversations feel natural and the scammers share fake life stories.
Once trust has been established, money enters the picture and crypto fits well into the picture because transfers move fast and reversals are impossible.
Blockchain security firm Cyvers shared data on this trend. According to the firm, about 35% of cases involve grooming that lasts one to two weeks. Another 10% stretch up to three months.
AI Photos As Part of the Scam
After the funds moved, the scammer admitted the photos were fake and that they used AI tools to create the images.
The investor also bought a plane ticket and planned to meet the woman. Notably, pig butchering scams caused massive losses last year alone as cyvers reported $5.5 billion stolen across 200,000 cases.
Related Reading: Bitcoin Dips Below $88K as Saylor Posts Fresh “Orange Dots”
Lessons for Bitcoin Holders
Going forward, Bitcoin holders should treat online investment advice with caution and should never mix personal relationships with money requests.
Investors should be skeptical of promises of fast gains, and any requests to move funds off trusted platforms should raise alarms.
This case is only one out of many as AI becomes more advanced. Romance scams and AI are a dangerous mix that can become even worse once crypto enters the picture with its speed
