'Pig-Butchering' Scams a Top Investor Threat, According to State Regulators
April 20, 2023
A particular kind of scam is hogging the attention of state securities regulators.
So-called pig-butchering schemes are becoming increasingly prominent in the cryptocurrency space, and 46% of state regulators in the U.S. and Canada say these type of scams are a top concern, according to the North American Securities Administrators Association's annual list of top investor threats.
Pig-butchering schemes were the second-most-cited threat by U.S. and Canadian state securities regulators responding to NASAA’s survey, marking the first time the threat has made the list. Digital asset frauds took the top spot, cited by 62% of respondents, while social media and internet schemes followed behind, at 41%.
wealthmanagement.com
The oddly named scheme, where a fraudster will bleed the victim’s finances in small increments, akin to fattening up a pig before they’re slaughtered, is gaining ground in the crypto space.

By Lindsey Hawkins
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October 28, 2025
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April 21, 2025
A federal judge in Brooklyn last week approved the release of $400 million in funds to some of the beleaguered investors in GPB Capital Holdings who have not seen a nickel or returns since 2018, when the private placement investment scheme began to unravel. Meanwhile, the sentencing of two top GPB executives, founder David Gentile, and broker-dealer and sale chief Jeff Schneider, was scheduled for this week but has been moved to May, according to court filings. Last August, a jury in federal court in Brooklyn found Gentile guilty of five counts of fraud and Schneider three. The federal government’s charges stemmed from their management of GPB Capital Holdings, which was founded in 2013, GPB Capital. The money manager sold its high risk private placements through dozens of independent broker-dealers and five years later had raised $1.8 billion from wealthy clients looking for yield in a decade ago when interest rates were next to zero.

