You download a new app, open it for the first time, and a pop-up appears: "Allow this app to access your contacts?" Most people tap "Allow" without a second thought.
Scammers call this approach "pig butchering," borrowing from an agricultural practice: fattening the pig before the slaughter.
You fill in your details, download what appears to be a contract or project brief, and within seconds your device is quietly compromised, with no warning and no obvious sign that anything went wrong.
You needed your computer an hour ago, but instead you’re staring at a screen that says 35 percent complete, and it’s been saying 35 percent complete for the past 45 minutes.